BEIJING (AP) The sometimes scathing reviews of British artist Antony Gormley's public art installation in London's Trafalgar Square are just proof, he says, that it's been as challenging for audiences as he hoped it would be.
"If it wasn't disturbing to people, it wouldn't be doing its job. If it isn't contentious and doesn't get a mixed reaction, it's totally failing," Gormley said on Oct. 11 while visiting Beijing to set up his first solo installation in China.
The piece in Trafalgar Square draws to a close on Oct. 14, after nearly three months of allowing members of the British public to become art. Over 100 days, 2,400 ordinary people were given a chance to climb atop the 7 meter-high stone plinth and hang out there for an hour doing as they liked — some stripped and some shouted, others just sat.