New Palanga sculpture stirs heated debate

An unconventional mermaid eating ice cream has quickly become a talking point in Palanga. Martynas Gaubas’s sculpture stands in the resort center beside luxury apartments, where passers-by have reacted with amusement, approval and criticism.

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By naming the project ‘Water Form,’ we promise our clients that they will find all possible forms of water there.

Some viewers said the figure challenged narrow ideas of how a woman should look. Others questioned whether the sculpture matched the traditional image of a mermaid, joked that children might be frightened, or called it unattractive and provocative. One passer-by asked why a similarly unconventional male figure had not been shown instead.

The developers of the complex linked the work to their project, “Water Form,” saying the mermaid represented one of the possible forms of water. Because she is eating ice cream, they said, the sculpture also justified an ice-cream form. Project manager Elina Mesengiser-Garber rejected the idea that the work was provocative, describing it as sufficiently charming.

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The mermaid is eating ice cream, so we have a justification for the ice-cream form as well. We were not afraid of the mermaid. I would not agree that she is provocative. She is quite charming.

Gaubas said he wanted to create an emotional response, not deliberately provoke people. He argued that the old “90-60-90” ideal is no longer fashionable and said fuller forms can look more expressive in sculpture. His aim, he explained, was to portray a self-confident woman enjoying life and summer.

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The 90-60-90 ideal is no longer fashionable. I think it is beautiful, especially in sculptures, because everything looks more expressive then.

The artist’s earlier sculpture “Lithuanian Woman” also divided public opinion. Critics objected to its fuller body, nudity and what they saw as a demeaning pose, while some argued it did not belong in public spaces. Gaubas said he would rather make works that attract attention and generate discussion than works nobody notices. He also pointed to a nine-meter sculpture created for a flower festival, depicting a figure that is half man and half donkey, and questioned why images of men are more readily accepted.

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What I always try to do is make the works have an impact, to make them visible and provoke discussion. I find it more frightening when works are made that nobody notices.