Image via Complex Original
There are certain statues you go out of your way to visit, like D.C.'s Abraham Lincoln Memorial, the Great Sphinx of Gaza, or Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. These monumental works of art capture mankind's ability to think beyond the immediate. But not every statue is equally successful. There are statues of terrifying cannibals, gruesome creatures, and even Satan spotted across the globe. We found the most offensive, gross, and uncomfortable ones for our list of 20 of the Absolutely Worst Statues in the World.
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Eye
Designed by: Tony Tasset
Location: Moving exhibition
Tony Tasset's 30-foot-tall eye sculpture, modeled after his own eye, is a moving work of art that has seen Chicago, Dallas, and St. Louis. While many have tried to find deeper meaning in the large orb, Tasset claims that it's just an eye. The large blue iris and the red veins that cover the eyeball make this one uncomfortable sculpture.
Hanging Rhinoceros
Designed by: Stefano Bombardieri
Location: Potsdam, Germany
Stefano Bombardieri's statue of a hanging rhinoceros has been in Potsdam, Germany since 2001. The rhino is morosely suspended over a sidewalk and seems to have given up on breaking free. Rhinos are a repetitive theme in Bombardieri's work, and this one is particularly heartbreaking.
Q Confucius
Designed by: Zhang Huan
Location: Shanghai
Artist Zhang Huan created a hyperreal sculpture of Confucius in a bathtub, a sculpture so lifelike that it can breathe. The detailed statue, with realistic wrinkles and pores, also has his chest programmed to rise and fall in a repetitive pattern. If that's not creepy enough, it's also huge, towering over any person who dares enter the pool.
Statue of St. Wenceslas Riding a Dead Horse
Designed by: David Černý
Location: Prague
Artist David Černý created a statue that now hangs from the ceiling of the Art Nouveau Lucerna Palace in Prague. The statue is of St. Wenceslas riding an upside-down horse that appears to be dead. Černý did not say why he made the sculpture or what it means, although some have called it a mocking nod at the Czech president. Either way, it's a disturbing monument.
Man With Fish
Designed by: Stephan Balkenhol
Location: Chicago
In front of Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, there stands Stephan Balkenhol's statue of a man holding a fish. The man has his arms wrapped around the fish while the fish spits out water. The sea-themed statue is appropriate for its location, but the man seems like he's getting a little too cozy with his fish.
Sentados Frente al Mar
Designed by: Barría Robinson
Location: Puerto Montt, Chile
In Puerto Montt in southern Chile, there is a statue of a couple overlooking the bay—a very large couple. The man and women are seen holding each other on an oversized bench and have been for many years. Instead of looking happy together, however, the couple has an alarming sadness about them, like they have been about to break up for eternity.
Boll Weevil Monument
Designed by: Bama Foundry Co.
Location: Enterprise, Ala.
In Enterprise, Alabama, insects known as boll weevils took over and changed the area's agriculture, destroyed the region's cotton crops. This forced farmers to convert to peanut farming in 1918, after which the city's citizens came to see the pests as a blessing. To show appreciation for the insect, a 13-foot monument of a woman holding up a huge boll weevil above her head was placed downtown in 1919. Boll Weevil Monument is the only statue dedicated to a bug in the U.S. Let's hope this trend doesn't suddenly catch on.
Lobsta' Mickey
Designed by: Breanna Rowlette
Location: Boston
In Faneuil Hall marketplace in Boston, there is a 6-foot-tall Mickey Mouse that is also part lobster. Artist Breanna Rowlette created the Mickey with lobster claws in honor of Boston's love for seafood as part of a sculpture contest hosted by Disney. But did she really have to make Mickey an actual lobster? A Red Sox shirt would have sufficed. Mickey with claws just doesn't look right.
The Tarasque
Designed by: Pascal Demaumont
Location: Tarascon, France
The Tarasque is a legendary creature in France that is part dragon, part ox, part turtle, part scorpion, and part lion. Legend has it the city of Tarascon is named after the creature after its citizens felt guilty about killing it. So guilty, in fact, that they had to create a terribly ugly sculpture commemorating the unfortunate looking beast.
Le Pouce
Designed by: César Baldaccini
Location: Paris
Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and a 40-foot thumb statue smack dab in the middle of a park. The artist, Cesar Baldaccini, took a mold of his thumb, enlarged it, and placed it in La Defense in 1965. No one's really been offended by the oversized thumb, but no one's really given it a huge thumbs up either.
Gollum Statue at the Wellington International Airport
Designed by: Weta Workshop
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand is proud of the fact that the The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed in their country. In honor of the trilogy, a 13-meter-long 3D installation of Gollum was placed inside the Wellington International Airport. He is seen hanging from the roof, grabbing for fish in the main terminal. Despite Gollum's bulging eyes, the statue has brought many fans and tourists into the country just to see the detailed sculpture.
Eating a Biscuit Together
Designed by: Ku Bom Ju
Location: Seoul, South Korea
In front of the Bukchon Museum in Seoul, you will find a statue of two men sharing a biscuit, which serves as a bench. The statue, by Ku Bom Ju, with a man's head on each side of the bench, represents the belief of sharing and helping others in Korean culture. It may have a nice sentiment, but it's the strangest bench we've ever seen.
Buddha Statue Made From Bugs
Designed by: Inamura Yoneiji
Location: Gunma, Japan
The Buddha sculpture near Gunma, Japan appears to be forged from shimmering jewels. But take a closer look, and you'll see that these jewels are actually 20,000 dead bugs. It took the artist, Inamura Yoneiji, over six years to collect and create the unnerving religious icon.
Kindlifresserbrunnen (The Child Eater)
Designed by: Hans Gieng
Location: Bern, Switzerland
The Child Eater was built in 1546, making it one of the oldest statues in Bern, Switzerland. It depicts a man eating the head of a baby while also holding a sack of distressed children. Whatever the purpose is for the unsettling statue, it has struck fear into children and adults alike for almost 500 years.
Blue Mustang
Designed by: Luis Jimenez
Location: Denver
When flying into Denver International Airport, it's hard to miss Luis Jimenez's 32-foot fiberglass horse statue, not only because it is one of Jimenez's largest sculptures, but because it has piercing eyes and is a shocking shade of blue. The statue has been criticized by locals and called "Denver Demon Mustang" and "Bluecifer," not the most flattering of nicknames.
The Awakening
Designed by: J. Seward Johnson, Jr.
Location: National Harbor, Md.
The Awakening created by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. is a five-piece statue of a man embedded in the ground of Maryland, just outside D.C. The man is seen sinking and struggling, as if he is stuck in quicksand and gasping for air. It's hard not to feel bad for the guy.
The Point Pleasant Mothman Statue
Designed by: Bob Roach
Location: Point Pleasant, W. Va.
A 12-foot-tall metallic statue of Point Pleasant's Mothman, a mythical creature reportedly seen in the West Virginia town multiple times in the late '60s, stands tall in stainless steel. There is even an Annual Mothman Festival held in honor of the red-eyed, winged creature. To the residents of Point Pleasant, Mothman may be something to be proud of, but you can't help but feel a little creeped out when looking into the red, beady eyes of Mothman's statue.
Sleepwalker
Designed by: Tony Matelli
Location: Wellesley, Mass.
A statue of a lifelike man in his underwear who appears to be sleepwalking, made by sculptor Tony Matelli, was installed at Wellesley College early this year. The statue is wearing nothing but underwear, with his arms stretched out in front of him, and the students at the all-women's college were not happy about its prescience on their campus. The statue is scheduled to stay up until July despite a petition to have it removed.
Homeless Jesus
Designed by: Timothy Schmalz
Location: Multiple locations
Variations of the Homeless Jesus sculpture made by Timothy Schmalz have raised brows and angered many, including the folks who attend St. Alban's Episcopal Church in North Carolina. According to Schmalz, the purpose of his installation is to bring peoples' spiritual responsibility to the forefront. But some don't see eye to eye with Schmalz. According to NPR, some members of the church were not happy with their Savior depicted as a vagrant.
Oklahoma City Satan Statue
Designed by: Unknown New York-based artist
Location: Oklahoma City
Satanic Temple, a New York group, raised more than $28,000 in response to the statue of the Ten Commandments being placed in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol back in 2012. They wanted to implement a statue of their own liking, one featuring Satan. The sculpture has yet to be completed or installed, but it's already spawning outrage across the Internet.