Paul McCarthy's Santa Claus - Rotterdam, Netherlands
Posted by: 
Ariberna
N 51° 54.984 E 004° 28.380
31U E 601307 N 5752765
Santa Claus, popularly known as the Buttplug Gnome, is a 2001 statue by Paul McCarthy in the Eendrachtsplein square of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Waymark Code: WM14X14
Location: Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Date Posted: 09/04/2021
Views: 5
"Originally made for the International Sculpture Collection with the intended location being outside the De Doelen concert hall, it has been located in various places – including the courtyard of the Boijmans Museum – but moved due to protests from local businesses. Officially the work represents Santa Claus holding a Christmas tree in his hands but the artist has implied that it could also represent a buttplug, and that "...For me, the sculpture is also about the consumer community - as a commentary on material consumption in the Western world."A red version was unveiled in May 2018 in Oslo, Norway. The unveiling was done by a man pulling off the cover, suspended by an overhead crane with hooks through his skin."
(
visit link)
"Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Old Man Pascuero or San Nicolás are some of the names by which the legendary character is universally known who, according to Western culture, brings gifts to children for Christmas (the night of December 24 to 25). It is a character based on the figure of the Christian bishop of Greek origin Nicholas of Bari, who lived in the 4th century in Anatolia, in the Lycian valleys (in present-day Turkey). He was one of the most revered people by Christians in the Middle Ages, of whom his relics are still preserved today in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari, Italy.
Thus, the current myth tells that Santa Claus would live near the North Pole with Mrs. Claus and a large number of Christmas elves, who help him in the manufacture of toys and other gifts that children ask for through letters. . In order to transport the gifts, Santa Claus would keep them in a magic sack and distribute them at 00:00 on December 25, in a flying magic sleigh, pulled by "Christmas reindeer", led by Rodolfo (Rudolph), a reindeer that lights the way with his red, bright and powerful nose, being the last to be added to history. Santa Claus could enter children's homes through the chimney or other hole in the houses, if they do not have one. To know which children deserve gifts, Santa Claus would have a telescope capable of seeing all the children in the world, in addition to the help of other magical beings who would monitor the behavior of children. Thus, if a child has behaved badly, it is said that the person who would come to visit him would be the charcoal (name that refers to the companion of Saint Nicholas, Knecht Ruprecht), and not Santa Claus; and as punishment charcoal I would give the children only charcoal"
(
visit link)
Visit Instructions:Provide a picture of the statue or something at the site relating to it.
You can be in the photo if you desire.