30 Sep 2025

Why is it so hard to sculpt a face?

From Nights, 8:30 pm on 30 September 2025

A new statue honouring music legend Tina Turner has attracted headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The criticism: it doesn't look like her at all.

So how hard is it to create a sculpture in someone's likeness - particularly the person's face?

Joanne Sullivan is a sculptor in New Zealand whose work includes sculptures of Sir John Walker, Phar Lap and more recently Sir Keith Park. She speaks to Emile Donovan.

Rock star Tina Turner performs on stage at the sold-out olympic stadium in Munich on 23 July, 2000.

Tina Turner. Photo: PETER KNEFFEL / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP

A bronze sculpture of Tina Turner smiling and holding a microphone.

The sculpture in question. Photo: X