David Smith, an artist who recently moved to the tiny community of Paulden, Arizona, has already become the talk of the town. Smith recently erected a nine foot tall gargoyle statue in his yard with a wing span of 13 foot. The problem is not the enormous size of the gargoyle, but the fact that it isn't wearing any pants. "I thought I was living in a free country," says Smith.
He says the day after putting up his most prized possession, the county told him to take it down. It's not only that the enormous statue is naked, but all parts of the creature are anatomically correct and proportionally sized. The sculpture is a full-frontal display of a nude male gargoyle. "It just seemed like it needed to be there. I don't like Ken dolls. It wasn't put there to offend anybody. That isn't the reason. Everything has a sex.," adds Smith.
YouTube link.
The artist says that the statue was at his home in Phoenix for six years and no one ever complained. However, the community of Paulden says that this is a huge deal, and the county agrees. The county has told Smith that the statue needs to be taken down or removed from public view. If he does not remove the statue, Smith could face a fine of $1,000. The artist is not backing down. Smith says the giant metal creature is an extension of himself, and they're not going anywhere soon.
Looks like it is out in the middle of nowhere.People are so pathetic sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI wish i owned it,the people out here in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia would have a bloody good laugh about it.Blame religion.lol
It's not in the middle of nowhere when you live next to it, folks move here to enjoy the views of the mountains, not a winged, axe wielding, monkey faced, rusted hunk of metal. Interesting that none of the pictures, videos, show the entire thing, including it's 'thing'. The First Amendment in America doesn't protect obscenity. Put a loin cloth on it. You don't go outside naked. Neighbors don't want to see that either!
ReplyDeleteGuess it's one way to get attention. Free way to advertise. Free legal from ACLU. This guy knows what he's doing. Playing the system, while waving the constitution.
ReplyDeleteYeah... people move there to enjoy the views, never mind the cheap prices for large pieces of land and freedom to do whatever you want on your own land. Isn't this place where people were burning crosses in recent years? Sounds like the people complaining are picking their battles based on their beliefs not the constitution. I don't particularly enjoy a gargoyle with a penis but I thoroughly enjoy living in a country where I could if I wanted too. You should too, along with everything else the constitution protects. There are plenty of works of art that are anatomically correct that are considered to be of great historical value and are often shown in magazines and television. Thanks to the constitution you have the option to choose if you look at those too.
ReplyDeleteSurely if it's not spouting water it's a grotesque, not a gargoyle?
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