‘The Apron’ by Karen Genoff

The Minister for Housing & Urban Development commissioned this work by Karen Genoff, an Adelaide local. This 1997 sculpture was made as a commemorative piece to reflect the old East End markets. Central to the work is a cast bronze reconstruction of one of the old market aprons, used as a metaphor for ‘the end of the working day’ and the market’s closure. The docket book in the pocket of the apron contains the name of one of the families known to have had the longest running association with the markets. The materials were selected to evoke a sense of texture and rustic nature of the old site, which includes some of the old, black, market bricks, cast bronze, lyten steel and Black Hill granite. Genoff was chosen from among 40  artists to create the sculpture. The artwork also has a secret, here’s a clue: ‘The artist has a daughter, can you find her?’