Downtown FM statue stirs up controversy

Published: Updated:

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A statue just revealed in downtown Fort Myers is causing a lot of controversy. Some people say it’s inappropriate and shouldn’t be out in public for children to see, but others argue it’s art.

“I would never bring my granddaughter down here to look at this. They could build a guy with a horn. They could use the same amount of metal to do that and it would do the same thing. What they’re promoting here is getting drunk, so drunk you don’t know what you’re doing and wiz up against a lamppost.”

The statue was quite the hot topic on social media where some people expressed their disapproval, calling it tacky and even questioning whether or not it is art and why it’s downtown.

The piece, called territorio was sculpted by internationally known Colombian artist Edguardo Carmona. This controversial piece is just one of two dozen metal sculptures displayed throughout downtown that depict his life in Cartagena, Colombia.

Hundreds of people stopped by since the statue was unveiled Thursday morning to see the statue for themselves.While some viewers found it offensive, others were amused, and didn’t see a problem with the artwork.

“It isn’t any different than what you would go into a museum and see half naked paintings on the wall. I mean it’s art.”

“We love it. It’s very whimsical. It’s cute, it appeals I think, to the viewers in a funny way. It’s not inappropriate at all.”

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.