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Talk about making an entrance.
A sculpture of a behemoth Birkin bag headed for an exhibition space in Florida held up traffic Wednesday as the Hermès “homage” was hustled through the streets of West Palm Beach — complete with police escort.
Titled “Big Birk,” the colossal, canary yellow-colored carrier — created by NYC artist GEO — is showing in the Sunshine State as part of Art Palm Beach, a contemporary art fair.
The 1,000 lb. tribute tote is so huge, handlers reportedly had to follow rules that apply when transporting oversizes goods like manufactured homes and heavy construction equipment.
“We tried to pay homage to the brand, which is so iconic and beautiful,” GEO, who has been in the entertainment and design industry for 25 years, told The Post.
“Big Birk” certainly lives up to its name, requiring an entire team of people creating, assembling and handling it through every step of the process, which typically takes around two to three weeks.
“It’s a 19-foot bag,” GEO said. “So if one person had to make it, it would take months and months.”
He estimates the production costs to be around $100,000, if not more, due to manpower, transportation and, of course, materials such as styrofoam, wood, metal and other textiles — not to mention the “hours and hours of work” dedicated to sanding, polishing, painting and applying resin.
The piece breaks down into three pieces for transport, GEO noted.
Multiple trucks drove the artwork down from New York for the show.
While winter weather inflicted some damage to the piece while en route, GEO assured that it was able to be fixed ahead of opening night. The fair ends on Saturday.
Some viewers have been so enamored by “Big Birk” — which is being presented by Denis Leon Gallery — that the artist has already seen interest from potential buyers.
“We got a few offers from clients who want to buy it from the show already,” said GEO.
“Obviously we want to make money from our artwork and what we do, but at the end of the day it’s amazing marketing.”
While GEO has not been in touch with Hermès, he said he would be “honored” to work with the legendary fashion house someday — in any capacity.
The label handcrafts Birkin bags at specialty ateliers in France, where a limited number of skilled artisans stitch the handbags together by memory.
Birkins — estimated to cost at least $9,000 if purchased directly from a boutique, according to past reports — are seemingly one of the most difficult luxury items to find, which also makes them one of the hottest buys in the category.
The coveted collectors items also go for tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes more, on the secondhand market, although convincing copycats are sold at a fraction of the price.
Just recently, the launch of a Birkin-like bag at Walmart had fashionistas in a frenzy and clamoring to get their hands on the dollar-saving dupe, available at the time for under $100 — a price said to have left some snobs fuming.
The enviable accessory has been a source of inspiration for GEO for a while.
Last May, the artist showed another Birkin sculpture — this one in fuchsia — in downtown NYC. The eye-catching installation loomed over the corner of Bowery and Broome St., becoming a viral spectacle.
