A sculptor has spoken out amid a controversy over his new public artwork of a woman submerged in a river.
Award-winning artist Jason deCaires Taylor installed the statue in the River Stour, Canterbury, on Friday, September 13.
Since then, the installation has prompted controversy with some labelling it “offensive, creepy and disturbing” and calling it to be removed.
But the artist says he did not intend for his artwork to cause divisions.
He told Sky News: said: “I don’t strive of my artwork to divide people or cause upset. But I do try to talk about issues that are pertinent and relevant to our current times.
“I was surprised… 99.9% of all the feedback that I’ve received has been very positive… But at the same time, I appreciate everybody takes something different from everything they see.
“People are perfectly in their rights to have [an] opinion. But I would urge them to go and see it first.”
The work, called The Alluvia and inspired by Shakespeare’s Ophelia from Hamlet, was commissioned by the Canterbury Commemoration Society.
It was installed in the river beside the historic Westgate Towers and is said to bring a new contemporary twist to the city’s thriving art and cultural scene.
Taylor went on to tell Sky News there is “no connection” between the work and the ongoing migrant crisis but he hoped it could inspire empathy for what is happening in the Channel.
“It’s an extremely tragic situation, and I don’t think ignoring it is the solution. If [this work] can foster any kind of care and sympathy for that situation, then I think that’s a good thing,” he added.
The response from Taylor comes after many expressed their distaste, commenting on Facebook.
“I find this sculpture absolutely appalling,” wrote Craig Logman.
While Samantha Bowen said: “I can’t be the only person who finds this deeply offensive.
“She looks like a drowned woman. How did the council not see the link to women as victims of crime or the sad fact so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees? I’m stunned at the naivety of those who approved this.”
But some write in support of the artwork.
“Well done Canterbury and the artist for creating this sculpture,” says Neil Carter.
“I look forward to seeing it in person. It’s certainly doing a fine job of provoking thought, discussion and opinion, which is indeed why art is such a part of the human spirit.”
Stewart Ross who chairs the Canterbury Commemoration Society, admitted members did not see the work before it was installed.
However, he said: “The overwhelming response from locals, tourists and further afield has been very positive.
“Of course, as always with new art, there are some who don’t like it, just as there were those who disliked our statue of Chaucer in the High Street and Beethoven’s symphonies when they were first heard.
“Moreover, it replaces two similar figures, also illuminated, that had lain without objection in the river for 15 years. If you don’t like it, don’t look.”
The project has the backing of the city council which has now come under fire, with calls for it to be removed.
Cabinet member for culture, Cllr Charlotte Cornell, previously told KentOnline: “Alluvia is as much a metaphorical embodiment of the river, as she is of a woman.
“As a piece, she is possibly doing so much. She may allude to Shakespeare’s Ophelia, she may nod to the 1554 John Hales drowning, she may also be a comment on poisoning of our waterways by modern development, sewage and farming. Or she could be a representation of the peace and tranquility of nature.
“She could be all of these things, or she could be none – that’s the beauty of art.
“The piece asks questions of the viewer, as all art should. Some people will be upset, some disturbed.
“Others will be inspired and find a kind of beautiful ethereal quality in the sculpture. It’s not up to me to tell people how to feel – come and see her and decide for yourself.”
