A giant white disembodied foot can be found in the gardens next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms. It’s art, by Simon Fujiwara, a Berlin-based British-Japanese artist who made his mark in 2012 exhibiting at Tate St. Ives.
It’s described as “a reflective piece”, and comprises a large foot with a ring embedded in the sole.
We’re told that the art is in keeping with the emotive and often autobiographical nature of his work, which leaves you wondering what woe befell him to produce it.
Did he step on a wedding ring and end up in hospital?
The art was shortlisted for the Spectator’s annual Worst Public Art awards, which does seem a bit off as while it’s curiously meaningless, it is undeniably a work of art, and that alone sets it apart from much modern art which seems to be art only in that there’s a label next to it saying so.
In British Columbia, on the bluffs and beaches of the Georgia Strait and Juan de Fuca, thirteen left feet have been found over the past decade. These human parts, most encased in running shoes, have been the subject of continued police investigation, but with no successful outcomes.
This artist’s work may have been the result of his personal dreams, but “it’s not for us to question why”.
I seem to remember that in some cultures(possibly Thailand) showing the sole of one’s foot is considered an insult.