Girl against the bull, and pugs against the girl

A spelling dog was added to the sculpture on Wall Street

On March 7, on the eve of International Women's Day, a statue of a little girl was installed in New York. She looks with a challenge at the “bull from Wall Street”-a city sculpture that has become one of the symbols of the American Exchange. Now another artist joined the peculiar flash mob: he installed a bronze dog next to the “girl”, which writes on her leg.

On December 15, 1989, a 3200-kilogram “attacking bull” appeared before the building of the New York Stock Exchange. The author of the sculpture Arturo di Modik cast and installed the bull on his own initiative. According to the artist, the “bull” personified the strength and power of the Americans who defeated the financial crisis of 1987. The appearance of the sculpture was a surprise to the city authorities, but in the end they decided to leave it (though, having moved a couple of quarters).

On March 7, 2017, a small bronze girl appeared opposite the bull: this is how the financial organization of State Street and sculptor Kristen Wizball decided to draw attention to the lack of women in the advice of directors of the largest companies in the United States. It was originally planned that the action would last a month, and then the sculpture would be removed, but some of the townspeople voted to be left. The petition with a request to make it not temporary sculpture, but at the moment, 38,276 people were currently signed. There were also those who did not like the monument. Among them, in particular, was the author of the “attacking bull” Arturo di Modik: he believes that the “girl” violates the composition and plan of his work, and also notes that she was put without coordination with him.

Now the composition has become more complicated. On May 30, another artist - Alex Gardeg - installed at the feet of the "fearless girl" "schematic pugs": a statue of a dog that writes a girl on a leg. So the artist expressed his support to the author of the “attacking bull”. He explained that he sympathizes with Di Modik and considers his work to be humorous: “I am a very happy person, I am not driven by anger or indignation. And certainly I'm not an antifeminist. New York is full of places for a “fearless girl”, just here she interferes with the work and vision of another artist. ”

At the same time, Gardga admits that his work is designed to devalue the image of a “girl” - just like, according to the artist, the “girl” depreciates the “bull”. In his opinion , the girl’s sculpture has nothing to do with feminism, but it demonstrates disrespect to the author of the “bull”. On the other hand, the artist said , the “girl” has its own value - children like it.

Arturo di Modik and the author of the "fearless girl" Kristen Squeling refused to comment on this gesture.

The sculpture stood at the feet of the "girl" less than a day, after which it was dismantled.

Olga Strachovskaya