OK, good people, I’m sure you’ve all seen it by now. You might have marveled at its aesthetic. You might have mocked it for its ugliness. You might have spent several minutes looking at photos of it taken from different angles while still scratching your head wondering just what in the hell it even is.

But you’ve definitely seen this sculpture meant to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King that was unveiled in Boston.

BREAKING: The bronze sculpture called “The Embrace” honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King has just been unveiled on the Boston Common #7news #MLKWeekend #MLKDay2023 pic.twitter.com/IckphP15FL

— Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) January 13, 2023

As you can see, the monument designed by Brooklyn-based conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, which was inspired by the iconic photograph of Kings hugging after MLK won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, only features the couple’s arms during the embrace. No heads. No bodies. Just the arms.

Now, to be fair, plenty of people appreciate the statue, titled “The Embrace.” A lot of people saw it as artsy and abstract, but a fine piece to commemorate the legendary civil rights activists nonetheless.

Then there’s Black Twitter, the subsection of the Twitter-verse we rely on to ask the important initial questions: Is it a giant feces statue? Is this what you get when you type “big bronze body parts” into a PornHub search engine? Nah, but seriously, what happened to their heads? MLK didn’t die by decapitation, so WTF is this?

Boston unveiled a status of Dr. King and Mother Coretta Scott King.”
On the left is the photograph that “inspired” the statue.
On the right is the statue itself.

Is this a JOKE? Where is THE REST OF IT? Or is the point to De-BLACK it by omitting their faces? pic.twitter.com/lwT9cboocY

— Black Authority (@TheBlackChannel) January 14, 2023

Dear sculpture guy,
All you had to do was recreate the photo. That’s all.
Dear white people who hired the sculpture guy,
You found some artsy dude but the rest of us want representational art when it depicts our heroes. Please stop it. #mlksculpture #MLKDay #MLKDay2023 #MLK2023 pic.twitter.com/3wcmBDKAcL

— Margaret Kimberley (@freedomrideblog) January 16, 2023

While some people thought posting the statue side-by-side with the original photo added much-needed context, others pointed out that neither the comparison nor the multiple angles the sculpture could be viewed from changed the fact that it looks like a giant Rorschach test given to people with weird elbow fetishes. (Not that I’m here to kink shame.)

Y’all this the right angle for the MLK statue. Those other pics WASN’T it . pic.twitter.com/nACrKeDc6B

— Shania Barr, LPC (@TherapistForUs) January 16, 2023

I’m sorry, but the MLK sculpture unveiled in Boston looks like one of these #AI-generated nightmares. pic.twitter.com/1ysXniorum

— Arlo Pignotti (@ArloPignotti) January 17, 2023

Apparently my MLK sculpture pix from last night did not translate well on Facebook pic.twitter.com/ME1AGZybyN

— chip goines (@chipgoines) January 17, 2023

Literally all of America trying to figure out the #MLK sculpture disaster… pic.twitter.com/FVuPaXrntb

— Ricky Diaz (@iamrickydiaz) January 16, 2023

I have even more questions. There ain’t no way someone else didn’t ask ‘doesn’t that look like’ from any angle. https://t.co/wwN60VS29n

— Robert Brown (@truthtold8) January 14, 2023

I have questions. This has got to be the weirdest and creepiest #MLKStatue I’ve ever seen #MLK #MartinLutherKing #Boston #news https://t.co/4SZxZ93vBA pic.twitter.com/g4RjbFRtuC

— Monte Johnson (@montej11) January 14, 2023

Apparently, even a relative of Scott King thought it looked like something that should be banned from several social media outlets for “nudity.”

Coretta Scott King’s cousin says the new MLK statue “The Embrace” in Boston “looks like a penis” https://t.co/qxjdBSo0pX pic.twitter.com/MNCJJUrWK7

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 17, 2023

Scott King’s cousin wasn’t alone in that sentiment. There were quite a few people who simply thought it was inappropriate for an MLK Day celebration because the King was not born nor did he die for this monument to awkward, suggestive ghost arms.

Martin Luther King ain’t die for this sculpture unveiled in boston pic.twitter.com/ZvHIdY9Q2O

— 2ToneDaSupastar (@2ToneDaSupastar) January 14, 2023

Personally, I don’t necessarily think it’s problematic—just weird. But hey, art is meant to be felt and interpreted in a variety of ways depending on who’s looking at it.

So, what do y’all think?

SEE ALSO:

Statue Of Trailblazing Playwright Lorraine Hansberry Rises In D.C.

Statue Celebrating The Legacy Of Trailblazer Harriet Tubman Unveiled In Philadelphia

The post Black Twitter’s Response To ‘The Embrace’ Sculpture Of MLK And Coretta Scott King, Explained appeared first on NewsOne.