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Why Brooklyn’s newest public art statue makes some think of ISIS
 [NYPOST] A new public sculpture in Downtown Brooklyn of a massive arm with the index finger pointed skyward is drawing a wide range of interpretations as to its meaning ‐ with some observers even noting its similarity to an infamous ISIS...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... gesture. The towering bronze piece, called "Unity," was funded by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and lowered by crane on Saturday to a median at the intersection of Tillary and Adams streets on the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge. "The 22.5 foot sculpture echoes the Statue of Liberty’s iconic gesture & captures the unique spirit of Brooklyn as a place of uplift & ambition," the agency wrote in a tweet about the unveiling. But Todd Fine, a city preservation activist, noted that the work bears a striking resemblance to an Islamic hand gesture for the concept of Tawhid ‐ the oneness of God ‐ which has been co-opted as a signal by international terror group ISIS.  "Given the sculpture’s title and design, viewers will inevitably see the Moslem gesture representing Tawhid and the unity of God," said Fine of the $284,000, publicly-funded sculpture. "This gesture became a core propaganda symbol for ISIS, but it has roots that are much deeper in Islam and monotheistic religion."New Yorkers taking in the work on Sunday, however, had far more innocent interpretations of the larger-than-life limb. "[It] looks like a sports statue," said Joel Shapiro, 66. "Like we are number one. Seems positive, at least." Netta Crawford, 32, opined that it was a symbol of Kings County pride, saying, "Maybe [it’s] letting the world know that Brooklyn is number one!" But Fine wasn’t alone in his belief that the work could conjure images of bloodthirsty ISIS terror fiends. "There are these various sectarian associations one could make, whether it’s ISIS or the iconography of Michelangelo: the image of God and Adam with their outstretched index fingers," said Michele Bogart, art history professor at Stony Brook University. "Right now [with] the associations with ISIS Death Eaters, I don’t think that’s an ideal kind of association to put in Downtown Brooklyn." One person who agreed was Staten Island City Councilman Joe Borelli. "How can one administration make so many errors on seemingly the most innocuous of tasks?" he asked. They work pretty hard at it. "Seems like it would have been a nice spot for a non-controversial Mother Cabrini statue," the Republican quipped, in reference to another recent questionable call by Mayor Bill de Blasio  ...cryptocommie mayor of New York and for some reason a Dem candidate for president in 2020. Corrupt and incompetent, his qualifications for office seem to consist of being married to a black woman, with whom he honeymooned in Cuba. He has a preppy-looking son named Dante, whose Divine Comedy involved getting his back hair up when a police car drove past him slowly...’s Cultural Affairs Department. In Noo Yawk, if it ain't controversial, it ain't worth doing. A panel led by de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, simply ignored the results of a public poll calling for the installation of a statue of Italian-American and Catholic icon Mother Cabrini. "Feh! Whadda they know?" Actor Chazz Palminteri called McCray a "racist" for the snub and Gov. Andrew SonnyCuomo  offered state funds to build the Cabrini monument anyway."Unity" was designed by artist Hank Willis Thomas, who raised eyebrows in September when he proposed replacing male sculptures in Central Park ‐ including one of Christopher Columbus ‐ with monuments to women. Good idea. Nekkid wimmin! Venus de Milo and September Morn and Stormy Daniels and stuff like that. Except for Mother Cabrini. That would be nasty. Posted by: Fred 2019-11-12 |
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