Charlie Kirk Memorial Unveiled In Times Square Amid Shouting

(MENAFN- USA Art News) An unsanctioned, life-size bronze memorial to right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was unveiled in Times Square on Thursday by Italian-American artist Sergio Furnari. The event, which occurred one year after Kirk's assassination, quickly escalated into shouting and a shoving match, according to video footage from Al Jazeera and other media outlets.

The sculpture was revealed at 2:23 p.m., precisely the time the Turning Point USA founder was killed at a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University, an event attended by some 3,000 people. According to Getty, the sculpture was displayed on the back of a pickup truck that departed immediately after the unveiling.

Furnari self-funded the sculpture, investing $100,000 of his own money. He told the Guardian that he had aimed to raise millions to take the statue on tour but found that“People are cheap, man... it's disgusting how cheap they are.”

The man accused of Kirk's killing, Tyler Robinson, 23, has been charged with aggravated murder. A Utah judge determined on September 1 that sufficient evidence existed to proceed with the case, with the next court date scheduled for October 23. Among Kirk's supporters present at the unveiling was right-wing activist Jake Lang, who served four years in prison for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

In a Fox News interview this week, Furnari stated his initial reluctance to engage in political art:“No way. I cannot get involved with politics.” However, he said the perceived mistreatment of Kirk's widow and parents prompted him to reconsider, emphasizing the need for empathy“No matter your politics,” Furnari stated. Kirk famously voiced an opposing view in 2022, saying,“I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new-age term that... does a lot of damage.”

Kirk's death by gunshot was widely mocked online, particularly given his prior statement in the wake of a school shooting:“I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.” The artist informed Fox,“It's a monument to Charlie, but it's a monument to freedom of speech.”

Following Kirk's assassination, right-wing activists, including vice president J.D. Vance, who urged followers to report individuals to their employers, harassed and hounded many people out of their jobs for expressing unsympathetic opinions online. Furnari added, regarding Kirk,“He would have been a great president.”

Furnari is also known for his sculpture Lunchtime on a Skyscraper.

Source: ARTnews

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