Artist sued by community for statue exhibit

Got this off waywierd.com .. a site which gets the wierdest stuff around the world show case in its newsletters... this one in particular is interesting as it depicts how artists view their own work and consumers view the artwork they paid good money for...


**********************************************************************

An artist by the name of Christof Riley is being sued by members of the small San Diego community of Mountain Carmel Bernardo for a statue that he erected in the city's recreational park. Gail Mardley, a member of the city's school board, and one of those suing Riley explained that the city hired Riley to create a patriotic exhibit that the town could be proud of, "but instead we got pornography?" says Mardley, "He lied to us. He told us that the statue would be a memorial to life after 9/11. Are you kidding me? His porn has no place in our community, and he will be sued for his actions".

The community has placed a lawsuit of $1,012.11 per person that saw the statue on October 22nd when it was revealed. According to Mardley, 107 people attended the dedication, so Riley is looking at a possible $108,295.77.

Christof Riley, who is fighting the suit, told reporters, "I was hired to do a job, and I did it well. Now they don't want to pay me, and are suing me on top of that. This is disgusting. My statue will go down in art history as a patriotic masterpiece that depicts how people can trust one another and the Muslim world after the horrible attacks on September 11, 2001.

Remember, the attacks may have been in New York and D.C., but we in San Diego need to be healed of the wounds as well, and my statue is symbolic of how Americans should forgive all Muslims and not try to beat them up and kill them at every turning corner."

Click here to view the statue in question


Riley, who named the statue "Patriotic Mother's Milk And the Expression of Benjamin Franklin's Innocence Lost", explained that the woman on her knees in the doggie-styled position represents Mother America laying her weary head on the lap of Father Muslim while he reads to her a letter of sincere apology on behalf of the Muslim world for the attacks of September 11th by Al Quaeda. "If you look at the statue from behind" he explained, "anyone can see that 'Mother America' has no underpants on. This symbolizes how America is still susceptible to penetration from terrorists, but she removed her panties to show that she's not frightened, and will never negotiate with terrorism. How dare they call my art pornography!"

We at the Way Weird do not consider ourselves art critics, but we think that this exhibit belongs more on the lawn of Larry Flint's house than in the Luvre in Paris.