Mary Wollstonecraft memorial statue provokes mixed reaction

[Fozzie Bear]

Mary Wollstonecraft finally honoured with statue after 200 years

‘Mother of feminism’ commemorated by Maggi Hambling sculpture in north London

www.theguardian.com

Mary Wollstonecraft statue: 'Mother of feminism' sculpture provokes backlash

The Mary Wollstonecraft memorial draws criticism due to its inclusion of a naked female figure.

www.bbc.co.uk

A ten year campaign for "the mother of feminism" to be commemorated on Newington Green has now concluded.

A lot of people seem to have strong feelings about the statue by Maggi Hambling though.

I have to say, having contributed to the fundraiser, that it is not what I was expecting...

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I should add that the statue is not supposed to be Mary Wollstonecraft, it is a tribute to her, an "everywoman" apparently.

 

[Sue]

I'm going to wander over and have a look at the weekend.

What were you expecting, Fozzie Bear?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I'm going to wander over and have a look at the weekend.

What were you expecting, Fozzie Bear?

I'm not sure Sue . Maybe something super abstract or something more traditionally representational. I'm not an expert on sculpture so happy to be surprised I guess.

I was not expecting a tiny naked silver woman?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Probably seeing it in context is the way to go.

 

[purenarcotic]

It doesn’t do it for me I have to say. A naked woman (a thin woman at that) doesn’t scream feminism to me. But that’s the joy with art isn’t it, it provokes widely different opinions and discussion. And in some ways perhaps that is beneficial, as people who had never heard of her might then find out about her as a result of the discussions.

 

[Sue]

I was vaguely aware of the fundraising thing but hadn't given any thought to what the statue/sculpture would be...

 

[weepiper]

I hate it. I can't see how it isn't totally missing the point of everything Mary Wollstonecraft stood for

 

[Poot]

I don't like it.

 

[Pickman's model]

must say i expected something along these lines

although obvs on a more manageable scale

or like this

 

[The39thStep]

Modern art is rubbish

 

[ManchesterBeth]

frankenstein is the literary component to Capital..

 

[Fozzie Bear]

The artist says:

Ms Hambling said: "This sculpture encourages a visual conversation with the obstacles Ms Wollstonecraft overcame, the ideals she strived for, and what she made happen.
"Clothes define people and restrict people, they restrict peoples reaction. She's naked and she's every woman.
"It's been compared to a rocket of hope going up to the sky, tracking the fight for female empowerment Wollstonecraft started."

And the organiser says quite a lot about "provoking a conversation too". Which is maybe a bit of a cop out.

 

[Pickman's model]

The artist says:



And the organiser says quite a lot about "provoking a conversation too". Which is maybe a bit of a cop out.

there's one obstacle that mary wollstonecraft didn't anticipate and that's being commemorated by a bit of auld tat

it's the sort of thing you'd see in some of the shops in dalston shopping centre, beside the monkey in the space suit

 

[weepiper]

 

[platinumsage]

“It will definitely start a conversation,” said the writer Bee Rowlatt, who has led the campaign to get a sculpture celebrating Mary Wollstonecraft in Newington Green, north London. “It will definitely promote comment and debate and that’s good, that’s what Mary did all her life.”

^^ People always say that about shit works of art.

 

[Sprocket.]

Very disappointed with the result. The artist who got the commission must try harder.

 

[weepiper]

 

[Poot]

Nobody ever feels the need to see Churchill's winkie, do they?

 

[killer b]

I would love it if someone made a sculpture of a hot naked dude in tribute to winston churchill tbf.

 

[two sheds]

For all that money she could at least have been wearing a hat.

 

[Sprocket.]

there's one obstacle that mary wollstonecraft didn't anticipate and that's being commemorated by a bit of auld tat

it's the sort of thing you'd see in some of the shops in dalston shopping centre, beside the monkey in the space suit

It’s like one of those chrome plated pewter based abominations they used to sell in Ratners.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Maggi Hambing did the Oscar Wilde memorial as well btw - Maggi Hambling - Wikipedia

Dunno about this one; I'd have to see it in person. Which tbh is unlikely in the near future.

 

[platinumsage]

I wonder if it will be graffitied like Benjamin Britten's sculpture.

"Hambling’s Wollstonecraft piece would be 'just as spirited' as Scallop, the artist’s controversial four-metre-high steel sculpture on Aldeburgh beach dedicated to Benjamin Britten"

 

[blossie33]

Not keen personally.
Sure it's a fine piece of work but I don't feel it's a particularly good choice to represent her.

 

[danny la rouge]

Exactly my thoughts. Well, I didn’t specifically think “Churchill”, but “a man”.

It seems odd. Let’s have better representation of women before we start being edgy with irrelevant nudity.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

This is quite troubling if an accurate quote:

But Hambling laughed off the criticism, telling the Standard: “You can’t be naked enough can you?
“The point is that she has to be naked because clothes define people. We all know that clothes are limiting and she is everywoman.
“As far as I know, she’s more or less the shape we’d all like to be.”
She said the critics had confused Wollstonecraft with the figure in the work.

Artist behind Mary Wollstonecraft statue says critics missed the point

Artist Maggi Hambling has said critics of her naked sculpture commemorating writer and feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft have missed the point.

www.standard.co.uk

 

[Pickman's model]

Modern art is rubbish

all art is utterly useless

 

[Sprocket.]

all art is utterly useless

My mate Art definitely is.

 

[killer b]

I wonder if it will be graffitied like Benjamin Britten's sculpture.

"Hambling’s Wollstonecraft piece would be 'just as spirited' as Scallop, the artist’s controversial four-metre-high steel sculpture on Aldeburgh beach dedicated to Benjamin Britten"

View attachment 238204

I like this, and I also like the graffiti on it.