Unconditional Surrender

Sarasota. I love it, I hate it.

The same can be said for the giant sculpture that stands along our bay front. ‘Unconditional Surrender’

 This smooching couple became a major source of contention when it became a possibility that it might be greeting visitors as they make their way into the heart of Sarasota on a permanent basis.

It may be OK to bring in a big molar or a car wreck as a feature during the ‘Season of Sculpture‘.  They are here for a while and then their gone.  But now some guy offers to buy ‘Surrender’ on the condition it stays where it’s at. Right in view of the million dollar yachts, Marina Jacks and all those high price condos, oh my!

Sarasota has an image to uphold and it doesn’t include “kitsch”.  Pretentious and in bad taste (I had to look it up).  The art committees say it doesn’t meet the standards of public art because it’s “ornamental and decorative“?  I try to wrap my mind around what these committees are saying but I usually end up confused.

My first reaction to ‘Surrender’…  What the hell!!!  I was a hater. Then a friend was talking about how much he liked it.  I wanted to interrupt and point out the gigantic size and the color was all wrong but I listened.   After that conversation I would sit at the intersection during red lights and I watched (for the first time) all the people gathering underneath to take a picture. Couples actually mimicking the  pose?   That’s when my opinion of ‘Surrender’  changed.  I saw how many people were enjoying the statue.  So they go home with a piece of Sarasota and I’ll bet the snapshot of ‘Surrender’ gets pulled out a lot more than the pretty sunset or the pelican shots.

While one person sees the woman being forcefully embraced, others have gathered for  protests and ceremonies.

For me ‘Surrender’ marks a turning point.  I put aside my dis-like for a moment to see another point of view and it opened up a whole new way of seeing.

Now, in my opinion, that’s what art is all about! Kitschy or not.