Japanese artist Kozo Nishino finishes public sculptures for National Arboretum

But Japanese artist Kozo Nishino has a slightly different take on it when asked how it feels seeing his work on display.

"There are two types of artists," Nishino said through a translator.

"One is the artist who loves their works and the other one is the one who doesn't really believe the work is what he wanted to make."

And Nishino sees himself as the latter only feeling happy with the work when its exhibited and he realises it isn't "too bad".

Two of his kinetic sculptures breezing in Canberra and in the stream commissioned under the ACT government's now defunct Percent-for-Art scheme at a cost of $800,000 will be installed at the National Arboretum on Wednesday.

Nishino spent the last few days assembling his delicate titanium alloy and stainless steel creations at the Old Bus Depot Markets after they arrived from Japan.

The seven-metre-wide, seven-metre-tall piece breezing in Canberra on its bright red pole was modelled on the body and skeletal form of a bird, even mimicking the animals' ability to tuck its wings in to offer protection from strong winds.

The larger 12-metre tall sculpture in the stream with its yellow pole is more abstract and will vary in width from 14 to 18 metres wide when all six of its moving parts spread out.

"I just followed my feelings and ended up with this," Nishino said.

Nishino's brief was to create art that reflected the Australian environment, but his inspiration lay closer to home in the country setting of his studio in the Kyoto prefecture where he spent about a year making each piece with the help of three assistants after designing and engineering the sculptures himself.

"While I was working on other works with different themes I saw some birds come into the studio, because I live in a country town there's many birds," he said.

The sculptures were originally slated for a site near the Majura Parkway before the road was extended, but Nishino said the Arboretum location overlooking the Tuggeranong Parkway was a better fit.

"I have a lot of thinking and hopes of the sky and the wind in these two works," he said.

"The arboretum will provide that huge sky, and the environment is really good."

Nishino visited Canberra before settling on the final designs, but said he didn't make any changes despite the differing landscapes.

"Canberra is much more dynamic and much more spread out, where I live is more mountainous," he said.

Breezing in Canberra is as light as it looks, weighing less than 75 kilograms and only needing the slightest touch to make it move, Nishino said even a small coin or tissue paper was enough.

Project manager Axel Arnott said the team of Australian engineers who checked the designs met Australian standards were "amazingly impressed" with the works.

Nishino has similar public sculptures in Tokyo, China, Korea and at the World Trade Centre site in New York and two privately-owned pieces in Sydney and Perth but the Canberra pieces are his first public artworks in Australia and he doesn't have plans for any more.

"To be frank with you, two large works like this would be just appropriate for the size of Canberra," he said.