Whale statue in Salt Lake City vandalized days before election
Oct 30, 2024, 3:24 PM
Graffiti is pictured on the whale sculpture "Out of the Blue" at 9th and 9th in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — The 9th and 9th neighborhood in Salt Lake City awoke Wednesday to find a prominent whale statue had been vandalized with apparent political graffiti just days before the national election.
The whale statue, titled “Out of the Blue,” was commissioned and built in 2022 by the Salt Lake City Art Design Board. The statue quickly became a well-known landmark, garnering attention on social media and serving as a directional tool for locals. Marathoners train for races by circling the whale until they reach their targeted mileage.
But on Wednesday, the towering whale had been vandalized, with Election Day just six days away.
A political message was defaced with a political graffiti art on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2024, just a week before the 2024 Election Day. (Greg Anderson, KSL TV)
The vandalism depicted three individuals and the words “Did you vote?” on the whale’s back left side. Two of the individuals appear to be soldiers, and the third person is sitting on a toilet.
The implications of the political meaning are open for interpretation, but the stylistic technique used is similar to that of the famous street artist Banksy.
Read more from Mary Culbertson, and see the complete story, on KSLTV.com
