Outrage Simmers Over Tina Turner Statue in Memphis

Photo Credit: @jameszimmermann (Twitter/X)

A 10-foot bronze statue of Tina Turner unveiled last week in Tennessee goes viral on social media, where users are calling it an “insult to a great artist.”

A statue of the late singer-songwriter Tina Turner, unveiled late last month in her hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee, is going viral online, but not for the right reasons. Users on social media have said the statue “leaves you speechless,” calling it “an insult to a great artist,” and “an abomination.”

The 10-foot bronze statue, created by Atlanta-based artist Fred Ajanogha, was installed in Heritage Park across from Turner’s alma mater, Carver High School. The work was reportedly funded by around 50 donors, including Ford Motor Company, which contributed $150,000 as part of a community preservation initiative.

Turner is depicted in a short pleated skirt and heels, performing with a microphone in her raised hand. But many comments focus on the statue’s overly exaggerated hair and discomfort-inducing uncanny valley face.

The sculptor, Fred Ajanogha, also known as Ajano, has created many works throughout the U.S., as well as in Nigeria and Ghana. He was commissioned by the 1996 Olympic Committee to craft sculptures for over 70 major guests at that year’s games. Ajano is also known for his work at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, where he sculpted a bronze relief of former Atlanta mayor, Maynard Jackson.

Ajano spent “the better part of a year” creating the Tina Turner sculpture before working with the West Tennessee’s Lugar Foundry to finalize it. On Thursday, he shared a statement on Facebook detailing his creative process for the piece.

“I tried to achieve three things: [first], her movement; I want her to be seen in her flexible form on stage. The second thing is the hair. I used that to emphasize her strength as a woman, that goes with the mane of a lion. Very soft, heavy, and strong. The last one is her finger,” wrote Ajano.

“I was able to let people know that when something is good, everybody loves it. But it can never be Tina Turner. You can copy her, but there’s only one Tina Turner,” he continued. “So I’m very happy to do this sculpture for [the] Brownsville community and the whole family of Tina Turner and her fans.”

Many memes made the rounds online, with most people finding the matter comical. Of course, there have been plenty of fans who expressed offense at the statue, insisting that the late diva deserves better.

“What’s art got to do with it? Who is this?,” wrote comedian Kevin Fredericks. “She deserved better.”

“Great art does that; leaves you speechless. So does an abomination like this,” wrote jazz musician James Zimmermann.

“That Tina Turner statue is a tragedy. She deserves better,” wrote one person online. “Did the artist even look at a photograph of the real Tina Turner?”

“The new Tina Turner statue looks more like Kang from Masters of the Universe,” wrote another, along with the hashtag #SimplyTheWorst.

Certainly, the statue was made with the right intentions, even if it’s drawing criticism online. But the Tina Turner statue is just the latest in a long line of widely criticized public statues of figures like civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., comedian Lucille Ball, basketball legend Dwyane Wade, and—perhaps most infamously—soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.