Wakefield artist defends 'disrespectful' Amazon love god statue

The statue has been inspired by 19th Century conservationist and naturalist Charles Waterton

The creator of an Amazonian love god statue planned for display near Wakefield's cathedral has defended his artwork from complaints it would be "offensive to Christians".

Jason Wilsher-Mills said the 1.9m (6ft 2in) bronze figure was inspired by his parents' love story and "features universal themes that all people can relate to".

It is part of a proposed £1m art trail.

Dozens of people have lodged objections with the council over the sculpture.

Most of the 64 complaints take issue with its proposed location on Cathedral Walk, near the entrance of The Ridings shopping centre.

"It is an offence to Christian worshippers, and what we believe," wrote one objector on Wakefield Council's website, while another claimed it was "disrespectful to the Christian faith" and a "mockery of Christianity as a whole".

Another said "to put a symbol of a sun god in the vicinity of the cathedral" would be "an affront to our Christian heritage and our identity as a cathedral city".

Wakefield-born Jason Wilsher-Mills is one of the artist's commissioned for the public art trail

Mr Wilsher-Mills, who was born in Wakefield but now lives in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, said the "central message" of his artwork was "love and hope".

He said it had been inspired by a painting of local Victorian conservationist Charles Waterton capturing a caiman, his parents' love, and his own connections with Wakefield.

It depicts "an Amazonian Caiman god, who would be holding the two lovers in his right hand, and making sure mum and dad arrived on the ferry boat to Walton Hall, the home of Squire Waterton," he added in notes explaining the artwork.

"This would serve as a metaphor for caring for the earth, as well as being about personal love stories," the artist said.

'Challenging art'

Mr Wilsher-Mills, who has used a wheelchair since he was 11 after suffering damage to his central nervous system during a bout of chicken pox, said his work "celebrates disability, my northern working-class heritage and popular culture, through cutting edge technologies and brightly coloured, large scale humorous, but challenging art".

The statue is one of five pieces of artwork planned as part of the government-funded art trail through Wakefield city centre.

Other locations in the trail include Wakefield One, The Springs and West Yorkshire History Centre.

The sculptures are expected to be in place by summer 2023, subject to planning permission.