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A new gold statue honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fight for abortion rights has been called “satanic” and mocked for its horns and tentacles after its unveiling in New York.
The eight-foot sculpture, dubbed ‘NOW,’ stands in the courthouse of the Appellate Division Building in the Flatiron District, alongside statues of famous lawmakers such as Moses, Confucius and Zoroaster.
Unlike the other statues, however, it bears little resemblance to its inspiration. Ginsburg was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and died in 2020. The sculpture’s hair is like ram’s horns and her arms have been replaced with protruding tentacles.
Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander, 53, said The New York Times the statue was meant to symbolize “a fierce woman and a form of resistance in a space that has historically been dominated by patriarchal representation.”
Many on social media, however, condemned the design, calling it a ‘satanic’ monstrosity resembling ‘Medusa’ as found on the historic rooftop.
The widely mocked sculpture in the courthouse of the Appellate Division Building in the Flatiron District, along with statues of famous lawmakers like Moses, Confucius and Zoroaster.
New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino was among many on Twitter who believed the statue looked more like the Greek monster of legend than the late Ginsburg.
“Was there any public input before a satanic gold-tentacled jellyfish demon was installed in a downtown courthouse?” Paladino asked on Twitter. ‘Who thinks this is okay? And how do we eliminate it?
Stephen Miller, who served as a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump, summed it up as “a visual desecration of the landscape.”
Radio talk show host Derek Hunter also weighed in on the new statue, writing: “Justice is no longer blind, it’s just ugly and stupid.”
Many took to Twitter to brutally criticize the controversial statue’s design.
One Twitter user pointed out that the statue is too far removed from the classic look of the other figures atop the courthouse.
“It not only looks satanic and has no historical relevance, but looks at the craft,” they wrote. A far cry from the intricate robes of the other stone statues.
Another Twitter user echoed those views, saying that it further emphasized the problem of modern art.
“I like how it’s right next to the ancient statues so everyone can see very clearly how ugly modern art is compared to what was done historically,” they wrote.
Many on Twitter also shared memes to emphasize how much the statue stood out, while others compared it to the much-criticized ‘El Abrazo’ statue honoring Martin Luther King Jr. that was unveiled earlier this month.
Many on Twitter also mocked how the statue stood out like a sore thumb over the courthouse.
Others posted memes about the statue and even compared it to the controversial Martin Luther King Jr. statue, The Embrace, which opened in early January.
Sikander said her work was called ‘NOW’ because it represented the urgency of protecting women’s reproductive rights after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade last June.
“With the death of Ginsburg and the reversal of Roe, there has been a setback in the constitutional progress of women,” she wrote in her artist statement.
She said the ‘horns’ were designed as a symbol of the figure’s ‘sovereignty and autonomy’.
The sculpture will remain on the courthouse rooftop until June, when it will be removed and transported for display in Houston, Texas.
Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander (above), who created the statue, said it was meant to symbolize “a fierce woman and a form of resistance in a space that has historically been dominated by patriarchal representation.”
The statue will remain atop the courthouse until June.
The eight-foot-tall gold statue features horns and tentacles and symbolizes Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fight for abortion rights.