'Pissing Pug'...Is this for real?

[AltheaThoon]

Feminist Current says an angry male artist has made a statue of a dog urinating on the Angry Girl to downgrade it, as the girl downgrades the bull. Really? Or is this some kind of spoof? If not, wtaf??

Yep, it's real. He has just shown himself up, the pissing pug represents disgruntled men everywhere, angry when women and girls get too uppity.

Note that the artist who created the dog is not the artist who created the bull.
This has been discussed on here before. Although the Fearless Girl statue is great, many agreed that placing it where it is, is kind of vandalising the bull artwork.

Ffs. Pissing on her? That's nasty.

Ah, sorry, hadn't seen a discussion. I still think pissing on the girl is worse than the girl staring down the bull.

Everyone knows having an 8 year old girl staring at you deserves some piss.

It just makes me think how men contort themselves to rationalise their dirty oppression.

Jesus, in who's mind is pissing on a little girl something acceptable to immortalise in art?

I mean, in the beano or something, as part of a cheerful comedy strip for kids it could be humorous, but as a piece of 'serious' sculpture that's just horrible.

It's so anti-woman. So clearly misogynistic and hateful.

Entirely misogynistic and rather disturbing how threatened (some) men are by anything representing strength or power in a girl or woman. There have also been incidents such as this: www.thecut.com/2017/03/this-dude-humping-the-fearless-girl-statue-is-the-worst.html

I'm not sure I'm articulating this well but the reactions of men such as this one and the "artist" in question in this thread are not only depressingly somewhat predictable but show how women and girls are so widely seen. As objects for male amusement to be demeaned if stepping out of the role society deems acceptable for them, needing to be put back in their place (and by doing so to this statue so all women and girls are being reminded of this).

Poor, poor fragile men. My heart pumps custard for them all.

I do feel sorry for him though. Because he's a shit sculptor and it looks like a tiny turd.

Tiny turd The grown man humping the Fearless Girl is disgusting.

I thought the fearless girl was interesting for IWD, but it was designed with the purpose of being good PR for a company, so I'm not really on board with it being particularly feminist. More like 'feminism sells, let's take advantage of that'. I don't dislike the statue, and I'd say it was fine to be there for an event, but I do agree that it changes the original sculpture to the point where the artist's intention is being trampled over.

I don't know anything about the new artist, but the point is clear - if the pug changes the girl, then the girl changes the bull. Had the new statue not been a girl, but a matador using a national flag, so making a different point about American foreign policy, then I doubt the pug artist would have let that one go either. I don't think it's an act rooted in misogyny - but rather think that if you think that it makes the image misogynistic, then it also means the girl makes the bull something it shouldn't be.

I think the point of art is to make people engage with it, and think about it. Personally I rather like the fearless girl statue it looks bloody fantastic, well posed, and yes where it's positioned in relation to the bull is a part of it.

Also if you want to create a specific piece and stick it in a gallery, museum, exhibition centre or whathaveyou that's fine, but you put it out in a public space you aren't just making a statement you are starting a conversation. Other artists may want to join in the conversation you have started.

I get why people are annoyed at pissing pug, and of course that is part of this conversation too, my personal perspective on it is that pissing pug fails, it was there for three hours with the sculptor hovering over it to get his five minutes of fame, then having got the headlines he wanted off he fucks taking it with him.

This to me feels like the artistic equivilalent of saying "fuck you" then running off before anyone has a chance to answer thinking you've had the last word. I gather fearless girl will be there until next March, I sincerely hope it finds a good home as like I said its arresting and very easy to engage with.

I don't say that as a feminist although I quite empathise how it operates on that level for many people, I also don't particularly care if it was a commercially commissioned piece to be used in marketing. If you looked at how patrons operated in Renaissance Tuscany, even Leonardo Da Vinci et al turned in a few commissions in their time, but people don't make a stink about it now.

Of course it's misogyny. It's pissing on a little girl.

If the "sculptor" were less shit at making tiny turds he could have made the pug looking at the girl and, I don't know, shrugging or something. Like it was pointless. Commenting on the art not pissing on a girl who is meant to be showing defiance

i don't like Fearless Girl simply because it represents an unrealistic image of the power women/the little people have against the force of capitalism.

Using the bull to represent capitalism is also wrong because bulls are victims, teased and tortured to death whilst people watch and laugh.

I just thought it was based on the phrase bull market because it rears up as opposed to a bear which goes down? Or were the terms based on the statue?

It's not misogynistic at all, the artist made it as a stand against corporate America, as fearless girl is nothing more than a marketing campaign for a large company

It is misogynistic, Corporations and men working in them cant be feminist, or make a statement that can be described as feminist. And its up to men to piss on them for their pretensions.

Simply, of course it's misogyny.

Whatever the provenance of the "Fearless Girl", this "artist" has created a deliberately poorly realised dog statue that is urinating on the representation of women working in Wall Street.

The "artist" is figuratively pissing on women for daring to be there.

Its nasty and misogynist but what I pick up is a desire for attention..
Now he's had his five minutes of fame he'll disappear back up his own bum.

Here's hoping Iris

What a sad little man. He has tainted his 'art career' with a terrible piece forever.

Oh well.

The bull was a piece of guerilla art that was created as a 'gift to New York' following the stock market crash. It is on loan to the city and the artist owns it, as well as the copyright.

Fearless girl was created as part of an advertising campaign for an index fund. Of course artists have long had patrons, and some wonderful work has come out of that tradition. However, a lot of that output was pictures of rich people or religious scenes. Or rich people in religious scenes. When rich people could have their faces immortalised in photographs, painting and sculpture experienced a rush of freedom.

The image of a girl standing up to the great forces of capitalism is wonderful. But it was created to sell a company, just like Dove's real bodies was. If it was a photograph or film you wouldn't necessarily call it art, probably design or advertising.

You can like the sculpture and it can be meaningful to you, but I can't see how you could argue that it's not using Charging Bull for commercial gain. The asset management company who own Fearless Bull have more than enough money to pay an artist when they use their work.

The bull was intended to stand for strength in advercity, and has been recast as a villain. The artist has every right to feel aggrevied that a huge company is using his work in an advertising campaign without permission. The pug is intentionally shit, and may not have much integrity, but its making the point that the girl lacks artistic integrity. I think the girl will be a better statue when it's a standalone piece.

Agree 100% Basket.

Gah, what madness is Fearless Bull? Fearless Girl!

deydo that's a mumsnet first for me!