Art or ‘sickie’ shrine? NYC’s giant phallic pink leg is creeping people out

Back in April, New York City unveiled a behemoth of a statue in the middle of Times Square called “Grounded in the Stars.” Standing at 12 feet tall, the bronze sculpture depicts an average-looking, overweight, anonymous black woman dressed in casual clothing standing with hands on hips. The artist, Thomas J. Price, said it was designed to challenge traditional norms regarding who deserves monumentalizing, forcing a confrontation with the supposed systemic erasure of marginalized bodies and identities.

In other words, it’s a woke, finger-wagging lecture in the form of a looming bronze woman.

And a lot of people hated it. The statue sparked a firestorm of criticism and mockery from people of all races, some of whom demanded the statue’s immediate removal.

But New York City just can’t seem to get the message that its denizens are sick of looking at bad art. That very same month, it debuted a 10-foot fountain in the form of a pink foot and leg covered in red-lipped mouths with tongues sticking out, giving the impression of infection or disease. The artist, Mika Rottenberg, designed the grotesque structure as an “irreverent take on the tradition of classical fountains.”

When Rick Burgess, BlazeTV host of “The Rick Burgess Show” and “Strange Encounters,” recently traveled to the Big Apple to visit his son, he was fortunate enough to avoid this bubblegum-pink monstrosity, but his content producer, Chris Adler, wasn’t so lucky.

On a trip to NYC for his wedding anniversary, Adler and his wife encountered the “big pink foot.” He plays a video of the fountain for Rick and the panel.

Rick immediately notices something strange about the shape of the leg.

“It’s so important to look at the toes,” he says, joking about the phallic shape of the shin, where the rounded top shoots out water. “I noticed a lot of people from the Pride parade begin to gather around it like it was a god.”

“I guess they didn't notice the foot,” he laughs. “I hate to disappoint you; it's a leg.”

“There’s some sickies out there,” says Adler.

To hear more of the panel’s conversation and see a video of the fountain, watch the clip above.

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