Venus and Neptune are already at the Port of Malaga: "We were eager to see them"

While the Malaga Festival showcases the latest in Spanish cinema, another scene unfolds at the Port. No popcorn, but with the same anticipation as if attending the premiere of the latest film by a trendy actor. Here, the stars are named Neptune and Venus. Dozens of people watched for hours as the controversial sculptures, which from now on will guard the entrance to the Port of Malaga from La Marina, were installed. The process was very complex, given the size and dimensions of the figures, bringing an end to weeks of criticism and actions by cultural groups and political parties trying to halt the installation. The Roman gods, loaned by artist Ginés Serrán, are here to stay, for now, for just six months, unless there is a specific request from the City Council or the Regional Government.

"Where do I sign for them to stay?" said José Antonio Jiménez in an impromptu gathering of citizens in favor of the sculptures. "I think they are wonderful, beautiful, and artistic. And they make sense, in Roman Malaga Neptune and Venus were worshipped," added Miguel Ángel Pérez. "For the entrance of the Port, they seem appropriate. Aesthetically, I see no controversy. As for how it was done, if there should have been a competition, I cannot say," pointed out Juan Luis Eguílaz. For Arriarán, the proposal is "fantastic". "And on top of that, it's free," he remarked.

The controversy sparked by the strong opposition from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo, later joined by other institutions and political groups, has increased public interest in seeing the outcome. "We were eager to see them and came specifically for that. And we like them. They are smaller than we thought," stated Juan Antonio Peña. This perception was echoed in other comments. "I imagined them bigger," a lady was heard saying.

Indeed, the voices in favor outnumbered those against among the attendees of the installation. But there were dissenters too. For Pepe Valenzuela, this proposal is "a senseless patch in the environment in which it is located." "It's a hindrance, it doesn't speak to me," he noted. Manuel thought the sculpture lacked "strength". "This is like a child's drawing. Very naive realism, it lacks strength but has innocence. It could have been more daring at a sculptural level," he observed before posing a question: "Why not put something by Berrocal?"

The debate was open among those keeping watch at the Port. And the work took longer than expected. It began at seven in the morning and Neptune was placed on its base as night fell. It took the workers five hours to free the 7.5-meter tall, 2.5-ton god from the iron protections without damaging the piece, and avoiding sparks from the torch igniting the plastic wrapping the 24-karat gold-plated fishing net it holds. At least a couple of times, a fire extinguisher had to be used. Venus, standing five meters tall and weighing nearly 1.3 tons, was the first to be raised onto the pedestal in the morning, and the process was less laborious. "Neptune was twice as hard," confirmed one of the workers.

Both sculptures rise from a three-meter-high pedestal, but in no case do they exceed the height of the columns flanking them. "I want the sculptures to speak for themselves, to be the ones that enchant the citizens," declared Ginés Serrán in the morning while his 'Venus of the Sun'—named for the golden sphere she holds—was lifted into the air. He seemed satisfied to see his work completed. But he was also hurt, and he didn't hide it. He insisted that it had been an "unpleasant" and "senseless" situation. "Malaga is an open city, it has many museums and is pluralistic. It doesn't deserve this from some intransigent and even inquisitorial characters, who think they have the right to play and tear down this work, which was a gift," he argued.

He referred to the academics who started the protest, which was later joined by about 2,300 people through an online petition and the municipal groups of PSOE and With Malaga. It all began with a harsh letter from San Telmo questioning the "excessive sculptures" more fitting for the "Marvel universe" than a key downtown location. Thereafter, opposition grew. A few days later, the Ateneo de Malaga, the Malaga Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Urban and Social Studies, and the Economic Society of Friends of the Country joined, and an online signature was enabled to demand the project's halt.

In subsequent statements, cultural institutions denounced the lack of a municipal license to undertake the installation, the absence of authorization from the Regional Culture Commission (as it is on the edge of a Historical Center protected as a Site of Cultural Interest), and what they claim has been a non-transparent process without public competition. Now, it's time for the street to have its say.