Following an installation in Covent Garden last year, UK’s leading art retailer Castle Fine Art has brought the internationally acclaimed collection from the artist known as Whatshisname to the streets of Oxford. Westgate Oxford will now play host to two of the artist’s larger-than-life balloon dog sculptures, whilst raising vital funds for animal charity, Blue Cross.

The dynamic installation showcases a large-scale exhibition of balloon dogs from Whatshisname’s POPek series, of which table-top versions are available to buy exclusively from Castle Fine Art. The two monumental sculptures have been installed in the Westgate Oxford shopping centre, showcasing ‘Stretching Balloon Dog’ and ‘Downward Balloon Dog’ for visitors to see.

This latest public art installation follows previous exhibitions of Whatshisname art from New York to Los Angeles, Miami, Hong Kong, and Singapore, to name a few. The balloon dog collection, which is well known for its amusing poses, is inspired by the pop art movement, and became synonymous with Whatshisname when he first created his now widely celebrated ‘POPek’ series. What began as a Koons parody soon evolved into a collection that cleverly satirises the behaviours of real-life pets.

Commenting on the installation, Brendan Hattam, Centre Director at Westgate Oxford, said:

“We are delighted to be the new home for Whathisname’s playful balloon dog sculptures, in collaboration with Castle Fine Art. The giant sculptures are a great addition to the centre and bring a vibrancy to Leiden Square. We encourage our guests to share their pictures with the dogs on social with the hashtag #castle4bluecross, which donates £1 to charity partner Blue Cross for every image shared.”

The exhibition aims to encourage visitors to share photos of the balloon dogs on social media by tagging @castlegalleries and #castle4bluecross. For every image posted on social media, Castle Fine Art will donate £1 to Blue Cross; helping the charity to support sick, injured, abandoned and homeless pets.

Heather Collin, Communities Manager at Blue Cross, said:

“We are delighted to see these wonderful sculptures on the doorstep of our HQ in Burford, Oxfordshire. We hope they delight passers-by here as much as they did in London and also raise awareness of our work in our 125th anniversary year and encourage donations to support the vital work we continue to do helping vulnerable pets and their people.”

Find out more about the Oxford exhibition, and the brand new collection of limited edition sculptures by Whatshisname, at www.castlefineart.com