New York City has done it again — but not in a good way. A new 10-foot pink sculpture now towering over the High Line Park in Manhattan is drawing backlash from outraged locals and stunned tourists, with many calling it “disturbing,” “grotesque,” and “inappropriate for public display.”
The sculpture — titled “Foot Fountain (pink)” — allegedly depicts a “foot” rising into a flesh-colored column, complete with multiple open mouths and tongues and a water spout at the top that sprays liquid when passersby pedal a nearby machine.
Even supporters of modern art are struggling to defend it.
“This is disturbing,” one Instagram user replied to the High Line’s post.
“Is this a joke?” asked another.
One user on X didn’t hold back:
“They knew what they were doing… It mimics a penis with warts, shooting semen out the top… they added the foot because well ya know can’t legit have it only be a giant pink d*ck.”
BREAKING: New York erects a 10-foot-tall pink “Foot Fountain” that sprays water from its tip. pic.twitter.com/cXl7GFvUDT
— The General (@GeneralMCNews) July 1, 2025
Taxpayer-Funded Obscenity? “Squirting C*ck Statue” Sparks Uproar
While the city’s elites celebrate its “playful energy,” everyday New Yorkers are left asking what’s appropriate for children, families, and tourists walking through one of the busiest parts of Manhattan.
“Oh it’s a squirting c*ck statue,” one commenter flatly said.
Another wrote:
“I’m thinking the ‘foot’ part of this installation was a last-minute creative decision.”
The “Foot Fountain” will remain in the park until May 2026 — meaning it will loom over families, school trips, and daily commuters for nearly an entire year.
The Artist? Mika Rottenberg — Known for Bizarre, Body-Focused Art
The artist behind the controversial piece is Mika Rottenberg, an Argentine-born artist who now lives in Manhattan. She described the sculpture as “an overindulgent creature” from drawings she made during the pandemic.
“It first appeared as a small sculpture while I was doing craft work with my daughter,” she said on the High Line’s official website.
Originally created for a museum in Switzerland to serve as an irrigation fountain for flowers, the artist decided in New York it should “nurture and cool passersby” instead.
Critics argue that “nurture” is the last word anyone would use to describe the highly suggestive display.
A Pattern of Shock Art in Public Spaces
This isn’t the first time the High Line has dabbled in head-scratching “art.” Last summer, the same location featured a 16-foot pigeon meant to “challenge traditional monuments” and **reverse the power dynamic between birds and humans.”
Seriously.
Now the “foot fountain” has replaced the pigeon — but this time, even liberal city residents are questioning whether the line between artistic expression and public decency has been completely obliterated.
