He's a fairly pudgy guy wearing only briefs, and his arms are stretched out before him. He definitely resembles a cross between a Hanes ad and a frat prank.
And he's standing in the snow on the Wellesley College Campus near Boston.
(Photo from gannett.cdn.com)A prank? Non-news???
Apparently not. According to the local press, the students and some of the public are hashing out his meaning and appropriateness.
500 people signed a petition to have him removed. According to the petition initiators, the statue is “a source of apprehension, fear, and triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault for some members of our campus community.”
At least one student felt that it would be more appropriate to erect a statue of a former president or cultural icon instead.
None of the critiques seem to focus on the skill of the artist, nor the quality of the piece.
According to the NY Times, the President of the college said that “The community is debating everything from compassion to censorship, to freedom of expression and the significance of safe spaces,”.
The sculptor himself said that the piece, called "The Sleepwalker", is meant to arouse compassion for the outcast figure who is, apparently in some distress. It is also meant to draw attention to his show at the Davis Art Gallery on campus.
The piece is slated to stay in place until July, when, presumably, he will fit in with the community.
It is, once again, a case of concept v literalness.
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