The artist hopes the work will “allow for deeper reflection around the human condition and greater cultural diversity.”
Social media was abuzz on Wednesday after video and photos showing a statue of an overweight black woman that's been erected in Times Square, New York. The 12-foot-tall sculpture by London artist Thomas J. Price, called Grounded in the Stars, will be on display from April 29 to June 17.
"Times Square stands as an iconic symbol and site of convergence, uniting people from all walks of life, individual stories, and experiences intersecting on a global platform. The intention of my public works is to become part of the place they inhabit and its physical, material history, as well as the visitors that pass through and around the location, no matter how fleeting," said Price about his work.
He hopes the work "will instigate meaningful connections and bind intimate emotional states that allow for deeper reflection around the human condition and greater cultural diversity," according to a press release.
https://twitter.com/tpostmillennial/status/1920154362027950110
Price said that the statue is meant to "communicate those inner worlds that we have and sometimes we try to misinterpret with one another to try to create an understanding and basically encourage empathy."
A curatorial note states that the woman portrayed in the statue "is a subtle nod to Michelangelo’s David. Through scale, materiality, and posture, Grounded in the Stars disrupts preconceived ideas of what defines a triumphant figure and challenges who should be rendered immortal through monumentalization."
The statue also is meant to be considered in relationship to two other statues that grace the square, Chaplain Francis P. Duffy of New York's Infantry Regiment the Fighting 69th and one of iconic American composer, playwright, producer and actor George M. Cohan.
The curatorial note reads that "the woman in Grounded in the Stars cuts a stark contrast to the pedestaled permanent monuments — both white, both men — which bookend Duffy Square, while embodying a quiet gravity and grandeur."
Women in Times Square spoke about their love of the statue.
The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh thought the statue was awful, saying "They tear down statues of American heroes and replace them with statues of random obese black women. That’s because the Left has no historical heroes. Everyone who was born before approximately 2005 is inherently problematic."
https://twitter.com/mattwalshblog/status/1920116456454328758
Collin Rugg noted the comparison to Michelangelo's David, saying "Wow, I can barely tell the difference."
Dave Rubin said it was "the type of art that is designed to destroy souls."
https://twitter.com/RubinReport/status/1920120090885755285
The exhibition comes as Price is set to have his first major solo show with Hauser & Wirth in New York, titled Resilience of Scale. This showing will feature other large-scall statues as well as photographic works.
In addition to the statue, Price's work Man Series will be displayed on 90 billboards in Times Square from 11:57 pm to 12 am every night as part of their Midnight Moment program.
The project was made possible with funding from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Morgan Stanley, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and additional in-kind support from the Times Square Edition Hotel.
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