The sculpture, which “breathes” for an hour a day, is 45 feet in height and is made of steel covered by stainless steel mesh.
45-foot-tall statue of naked woman in San Francisco causing a buzz
R-Evolution is a statue of a 45-foot tall naked woman in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza where its garnered positive and negative reactions.
SAN FRANCISCO – Karen Allen had read about the new statue of a nude woman in San Francisco but was merely thinking about a ferry ride and a burger when she came in from Oakland.
Once she arrived at the Ferry Building, though, she couldn’t take her eyes off the enormous sculpture on the plaza between Market Street and the Embarcadero, the bayside boulevard that hugs downtown on San Francisco’s eastern end.
At 45 feet in height, made of steel covered by stainless steel mesh and featuring curvaceous nakedness, the R-Evolution statue draws a steady stream of locals and visitors alike. From a certain angle it appears to eclipse the 245-foot clock tower of the Ferry Building that serves as its backdrop.
“I think it’s beautiful and fun,’’ Allen said as she gazed at the artwork. “I really like that it’s lattice, lace-like, very airy. It doesn’t have a ponderous weight. It makes you feel like you’re lifted up.’’
That was a popular opinion among the nearly dozen people, the majority of them female, who spoke to USA TODAY since the statue was unveiled April 10.
Daniel and Gabriela Curti, a married couple visiting from Buenos Aires, Argentina, said R-Evolution captured the feminine strength and liberation Bay Area artist Marco Cochrane had sought to portray.
“It looks like it pays homage to women,’’ Daniel Curti said.
Steph Hughes, on a trip from Wales with her husband and two young children, called it “brilliant, lovely.’’
‘Eye-catching,’ and brings to mind huge statue in Manila
April Tanhueco, visiting San Francisco for the second time, said R-Evolution is a bit reminiscent of the enormous “The Victor’’ statue in Manila, capital of her native Philippines.
“It symbolizes not just femininity but empowerment. It’s eye-catching, for sure. It exceeded my expectations,’’ Tanhueco said after checking out the sculpture at a friend’s urging.
San Francisco resident Rebekah Edwards brought a group of youngsters from the nonprofit where she works to take in the new attraction. Edwards said she recently learned women are depicted in only 8% of statues in the United States.
She called this one “really amazing’’ and found it befitting of the city where it now stands after a six-month run in Miami Beach. The Embarcadero Plaza exhibit is scheduled to past six months as well; there’s a possible extension of the same length.
“San Francisco welcomes diversity and is on the forefront of change and also maybe accepting differences,’’ Edwards said. “She represents the power of women when we’re seeing a lot of negativity directed that way. It’s positive.’’
Does she ‘breathe’? Yes, for an hour a day
The one common quibble was not being able to detect the statue “breathing,’’ a feature created by internal motors and mentioned in the informational sign at the bottom, along with the nightly illumination.
Shannon Riley, founder and CEO of Building 180 – an art production and consulting agency that arranged the installation – told USA TODAY battery and funding reasons limit the subtle chest motions that mimic breathing to an hour a day, from 5-6 p.m. The illumination begins at sunset and goes until 11 p.m. There’s a shorter run before sunrise.
Riley didn’t expect a public artwork of an enormous naked woman to be embraced by all, and she was right. In addition to the predictable reaction from conservative circles – the New York Post said “it’s sparked backlash, internet memes and questions about the city’s priorities’’ – there has been criticism closer to home.
Sarah Hotchkiss, senior associate editor for local public radio station KQED, said she “felt embarrassed for the city of San Francisco’’ when she saw the statue. Hotchkiss also pointed out that, as a temporary installation, R-Evolution was not subjected to public feedback, although it did get approved nearly unanimously by the city’s Arts Commission.
Mixed reaction includes conservative criticism
Riley said much of the reaction she has seen online has been mixed, while in person it has been overwhelmingly positive.
“It’s OK that not everybody loves it. That’s not the purpose of art, in my mind,’’ Riley said. “Controversy means conversation, means interesting perspectives. The more controversial, the better. Let’s get people to talk.’’
And to walk. City officials envisioned R-Evolution as a magnet for pedestrians in a downtown still struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted tens of thousands of workers to leave offices and not come back.
“The arrival of R-Evolution aligns with San Francisco’s broader efforts to revitalize downtown,’’ the city’s Recreation and Park Department said. “Studies have shown that public art increases foot traffic, enhances economic activity and fosters cultural engagement.’’
‘Looks big and bright’ at current location
Cochrane, raised in Berkeley by parents he described as “activist artists’’ and “hippies,’’ created R-Evolution – the last of a three-piece series – for the 2015 edition of Burning Man, the large yearly gathering of artists and supporters in the Nevada desert.
That’s where Riley first saw the sculpture, constructed a handful of miles across the bay from the Ferry Building in Treasure Island, then home to Building 180. When the Miami Beach exhibit concluded, Cochrane sought another location and Riley figured near the sculpture’s birthplace would be ideal.
San Francisco’s Union Square was the top choice and was set for a February unveiling, but concerns about the 32,000-pound statue cracking the plaza’s tiles prompted the move east to the Embarcadero.
“Where she sits, she looks beautiful,’’ Riley said. “She really looks big and she looks bright and there’s nothing taking away from her. I think the setting’s absolutely incredible where she is now.’’
Contributing: Kinsey Crowley
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