"The only thing missing is glowing red eyes": NYC courthouse statue sparks satanic golden Medusa claims 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's NYC courthouse mocked as a "satanic golden medusa" (Image via AlexOlszewski/Twitter and Getty Images)

The New York City courthouse has become a topic of conversation among netizens after an eight-foot statue, which honors the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her relentless fight for abortion, was installed outside its premises. Many claimed on social media that the figure looks like a “satanic golden medusa.”

The statue in front of the courthouse was created by Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander to pay homage to the feminist icon and her fight for pro-choice. The statue showcases the late justice's signature lace collar worn around her neck by a naked woman who is seen with golden horn-like braids and arms resembling tentacles on both sides. The courthouse statue present in the Flatiron district has been named "NOW."

Speaking about the name of the statue, the sculptor said in a The New York Times interview that it was named as such because it was needed “now” at a time when women’s reproductive rights are in control of America's Supreme Court since June 2022, when they overturned the constitutional rights to abortion. Sikander also added:

“She is a fierce woman and a form of resistance in a space that has historically been dominated by patriarchal representation.”

Reacting to the courthouse statue, NYC Councilwoman Vicki Paladino questioned:

“Was there any public input whatsoever before a satanic golden medusa demon with tentacle arms was installed atop a downtown courthouse? Who thinks this is okay? And how do we go about removing it?”

"New statue looks demonic": Netizens react to NYC courthouse statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

From their reactions via their tweets, it seems like several people disliked the statue. Many further wrote that the statue looks demonic and relentlessly trolled it. Check out a few of these tweets below:


Podcast host Jason Whitlock mocks “satanic golden medusa” courthouse statue

Journalist and Fearless podcast host Jason Whitlock appeared in an interview with Tucker Carlson where the duo discussed the latest courthouse statue. Speaking about it, the former said that he could neither take the statue nor the left seriously, adding:

“They’re a joke, so all I can think of is jokes. And so, I just have to think that if this is what they did for Ruth Bader Ginsburg and we’ve seen what they did for Martin Luther King in Boston, can you image what they’re planning for Ketanji Brown Jackson?"

He further continued:

"My God, I’m sure they’re building the first non-binary, multiple gender statue that will depict Ketanji Brown Jackson probably holding her crotch and listing her pronouns as deez walnuts.”
youtube-cover

This is not the first piece of artwork that has been criticized publicly in recent days. Previously, a 22-feet tall bronze sculpture was recently unveiled in Boston named "The Embrace," which depicts two pairs of arms wrapped in a hug. The artwork, created by artist Hank Wilis Thomas, represents Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott.

The $10 million art piece received mixed reactions; The Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah criticized the sculpture for reducing the Kings to “body parts.” Additionally, activist and writer Chip Goines opined that the sculpture looked like two disembodied arms and hands hugging a derriere.

Coretta Scott King’s first cousin, Seneca Scott, also did not hold back. In an online essay, he claimed that the money was wasted on creating a sculpture to create a “m*sturbatory metal homage to my legendary family members.”

Quick Links

Edited by Karishma Rao