Last Christmas, Polish-born Agata Olek whipped up a little somethin’ for the Wall Street Bull that resides on the (now-occupied) Bowling Green in NYC. It was a guerilla ‘gift’ to the people of New York City and a tribute to the bull’s sculpture. After admiring the photo, the ignorant cynic in my mind came out to play. Why would anyone want to uphold or pay hommage to a mean-looking bronze beast which symbolizes economic oppression in the United States?

Contrary to my warped preconceived notions; the bull was not placed in the financial district by anyone who plays a part on Wall Street. The city did not commission an artist and there was no planning involved. Following the stock market crash of 1987, sculptor Arturo Di Modica installed this beast in front of the New York Stock Exchange as a gift to the people of New York. He was encouraging the general public to preserver through the tough economic trails. Authorities promptly removed the hunk of bronze and impounded it. Cries from outraged residents were heard and city officials found a semi-permanent home for the statue.

Okay, the bull is  a bit aggressive for my tastes. Aside from that, maybe we should all do a little bit of research before jumping to negative conclusions. The sculpture went from a mean looking symbol of capitalistic brutality (capitalism DOES NOT WORK) to a mean looking symbol of guerilla art, freedom of expression and power of the people.