A planned statue of a ‘girl looking to the future’ has been slammed by locals as something out of a horror movie.
The council has set aside a budget of £81,708 (SEK 1.1 million) for the piece.
The artwork will be inaugurated in Hudiksvall, Sweden, in spring 2025 and will stand at 14.1ft (4.3m) in height.
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Designed by artist Klara Kristalova, the statue has been named ‘Hudiksvallstjejen’, which translates into English as the ‘Girl from Hudiksvall’.
The proposed artwork will be cast into bronze and positioned on the quay facing out to sea.
Anna Lindqvist, head of culture and leisure at the city council, described the girl as “confident and a little cocky” who is “looking towards the future”.
She hailed the statue as an “artistic environmental design”.
The girl will apparently have stick-like legs and black nose, sparking anger among residents.
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Many locals slammed the piece as “ugly” and even launched a petition calling for the council to rethink the project.
The petition has amassed over 2,400 signatures, as reported by What’s The Jam.
The formal appeal was organised by resident Berith Nilsson who runs the ‘Hands in Hudiksvall’ Facebook page.
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She said that it looks “grotesque” and “like a witch” and called on the authorities return to the drawing board.
Other locals criticised it as “something out of a horror movie” that will cause “children to have nightmares”.
Kenneth wrote: “My tax money hates this.”
Anders commented: “So damn ugly, a kindergarten child could do better.”
Mats remarked: “The statue is among the worst I’ve seen, nasty and scary.”
Pia asked: “Who the f*** has a black nose?”
Christina stated: “So reprehensibly ugly. Like something out of a horror movie. It will scare the life out of children, and it does not represent Hudiksvall in any way.”
Following the backlash, the artist said in response: “It is clear that you must be prepared to receive criticism.
“But I think it’s unfair to receive criticism for something people have seen that isn’t even finished yet.”
Kristalova added: “It feels a little bit silly as it came too soon.”
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