From a statue of a giant spider to figures in a spooky Thai hell garden we take a look at the 10 creepiest statues ever created.
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10. Expansion By Paige Bradley
Representing the human desire to break free of self-containment, Expansion was created by artist Paige Bradley as an experiment in boundary breaking. Disillusioned with the Manhattan art scene and their unwillingness to exhibit anything except contemporary art, Bradley took the already completed wax sculpture of a woman and smashed into pieces on the studio floor. After casting the shattered pieces in bronze Bradley then rebuilt the lady with the help of a lighting specialist. The result ultimately questions the irony of human containment symbolising the desire to break out of the box.
9. Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden
Located in Thailand the Wang Saen Suk Garden graphically depicts the punishment awaiting sinners in Naraka, the Buddhist hell. The two, tall emaciated beings overseeing the whole scene are known as Preta, the hungry ghosts of Thai folklore. The smaller statues below them graphically show people being tortured in various ways for the sins they committed in life. Being ripped apart by dogs, disemboweled by birds, boiled alive or having your head replaced with that of an animal are all depicted here in graphic detail.
Donation boxes located nearby encourage the visitors to redeem themselves by giving to charity.
8. The Ferryman’s End
The privately owned meditation garden Victor’s Way located in Ireland is home to some really creepy statues. Amongst them, The Ferryman’s end and the Split Man are sure to send chills down your spine.
The ferryman is said to represent burnout. His job as ferryman, is to take his passengers from one shore, across the river to the opposite side. This is said to be a metaphor for change in that without change or movement one will become stagnant and die. So therefore he ferries or transports one from a state of sameness to one of difference. This is why in many cultures, the ferryman has come to symbolise the transition from life to death and vise versa.
7. Split Man
The Split Man statue symbolises indecision. Unable to decipher and adhere to one’s life purpose the indecisive person will languish in depression. This concept is depicted here by a disembodied hand slicing the figure in two with a sword as he screams in agony.
6. Baphomet
This 9 foot tall horned, winged depiction of the devil was originally designed to sit alongside the oversized 10 Commandments monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma State Capitol. It was commissioned by the Satanic Temple and is said to be based on the physique of rock God, Iggy Pop. The demonic statue never saw the light of day after a state Supreme Court Judge ordered that the 10 Commandments monument be removed on grounds of unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. A decision that sat well with the Satanic Temple as it proved that one religious viewpoint cannot be tolerated while condemning another.
The one ton tribute to Satan now sits in an industrial warehouse in Detroit, Michigan where it was unveiled to chants of ‘Hail Satan!’ as onlookers flocked to get their photo taken next to the foreboding figure.
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