A towering 45-foot statue of a nude woman now looms over San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza, drawing equal parts awe, ridicule, and criticism, according to Fox News.
The sculpture, R-Evolution, originally created for Burning Man in 2015 by Marco Cochrane, was unveiled Thursday with lights, music, and performance art. Designed to “breathe” using internal motors, the statue is meant to symbolize strength and compassion.
Instead, it’s ignited backlash from residents and commentators who see it as a tone-deaf installation in a city still grappling with homelessness, open-air drug use, and economic decay.
“Nothing says ‘reviving downtown’ like a 45-foot naked lady getting rear-end surgery,” one user quipped after viral footage showed a cherry picker being hoisted awkwardly between the statue’s legs. Another commented, “This picture kind of embodies the spirit of San Francisco — head up a–.”
NEW: San Francisco has erected a statue of a woman with no clothes on which will be greeting visitors in front of the Ferry Building.
The 45-foot-tall statue was installed to “jazz up downtown” according to CBS News.
One worker was seen doing a “surgical procedure” on the… pic.twitter.com/QjxhbiYEpn
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 10, 2025
While some have praised the sculpture as empowering, others view it as a misplaced priority. “I don’t know where to begin about the misplaced priorities for the city of San Francisco,” said Bruce Lou, a recent Republican challenger to Rep. Nancy Pelosi. “They seem like they are focused on absolutely everything except the things that matter.”
John Dennis, former San Francisco GOP chair, offered a sharper critique: “A giant, naked woman blocking the proud, iconic Ferry Building is a perfect metaphor for San Francisco these days.”
Even left-leaning voices have joined the chorus. KQED arts editor Sarah Hotchkiss wrote, “As I gazed up at this monumental steel and mesh sculpture on Thursday, I felt embarrassed for the city of San Francisco… we are all the audience for this thing, and no one asked us if we wanted it.”
The statue’s installation comes amid a homelessness crisis affecting over 8,300 residents, according to city data. While San Francisco plans to spend nearly $690 million on housing and homelessness in the next fiscal year, encampments remain widespread.
Crime stats show a mixed bag: violent crime is down 14% and car break-ins are at a 22-year low, but gun violence has edged up 5%. Drug-related arrests are up nearly 40% over early 2024, yet critics argue enforcement without treatment only displaces the problem.
Fox News writes that R-Evolution is expected to remain on display for six months to a year. Rep. Pelosi has not commented on the installation.
Loading…
Write a Reply or Comment: