Refurbishment has started on the bright orange Moth Ascending the Capital, by artist Alexander Knox, on Drakeford Drive in Kambah.

A clear coating that had been applied to the painted surface has broken down and is peeling off.

The vibrant paint colour is also fading due to the extensive exposure to the sun.

The artwork will be sanded back, removing the clear coating and then three coats of paint will be reapplied, bringing the work back to the vibrant colour the artist intended it to be.

The painting will be done by hand, using brushes and rollers.

A work site fence will be in place around the artwork for three weeks to allow time for sanding and painting to take place, as well as time for the paint to cure.

The work should not impact passing motorists or pedestrians.

This work is part of an annual repairs and maintenance program carried out by artsACT across the ACT Government Public Art Collection of 114 works.

Moth Ascending the Capital is a play on the Marcel Duchamp painting Nude Descending a Staircase, where there are several phases of movement overlaid in one image.

Knox has used a similar idea with this sculpture.

He took a piece of video footage of a bogong moth simultaneously filmed from the side and above.

He then used a number of stills from that footage that show the movement of the wings and the erratic flight path of a moth.

The sculpture was commissioned in 2010 and installed in 2012.

As a roadside sculpture commission, the artwork was designed to be viewed from a passing car.

The artist considered motorists driving at 80kmh and as they pass the sculpture it appears to reanimate.

The use of bright orange for this sculpture is very much in keeping with the artist's use of vibrant colours on other public artworks.