A sculpture of Tina Turner was unveiled last week in Brownsville, Tennessee. (photo courtesy PLA Media)She’s simply the best. Better than all the rest. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the public sculpture made in her honor.Unveiled at the end of last month in her rural hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee, a 10-foot bronze statue of the late singer-songwriter Tina Turner is going viral this week on social media, where users are calling it an “abomination” and “an insult to a great artist.” The artwork was installed in Heritage Park across from the Grammy-winning artist’s alma mater, Carver High School, just two years after her death at 83 years old. Created by Atlanta-based artist Fred Ajanogha, the work was funded by reportedly around 50 donors, including Ford Motor Company, which contributed $150,000 toward the project as part of a community preservation initiative, according to a press release. The work has drawn criticism from users online, who say it is a disgrace to the artist’s legacy. (screenshot Maya Pontone/Hyperallergic via @jameszimmermann on X)The towering sculpture depicts Turner in a short skirt and heels, mid-performance with a microphone raised in hand. But many commenters have fixated on the statue’s uncanny face or overly exaggerated, voluminous hair, which looks more like Cousin It or the truffula trees in Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax than the famous gravity-defying wigs the singer was known to wear onstage.In an email to Hyperallergic, Ajano shared his public remarks during the statue’s unveiling. He said he wanted the likeness of Turner to “be seen in her flexible form on stage,” and that he sought to “emphasize her strength as a woman that goes with the mane of a lion.”It’s just the latest in a long line of criticized public statues of figures such as civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., comedian Lucille Ball, basketball icon Dwyane Wade, and soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s just the latest bad public artwork intended to honor a cultural icon. (screenshot Maya Pontone/Hyperallergic via @wrongstanceprod on X)The work has particularly struck a nerve given the legacy left behind by Turner, who is celebrated not only for her contributions to music and culture, but also for her enduring resilience to the racism and sexism that she experienced both personally and in her career. On social media, a proliferation of memes are making fun of the botched work. Some are silly, referencing a photoshopped Oprah Winfrey or the Marvel villain Kang the Conqueror; but others are just as offensive to the singer’s memory as the statue itself. Some have drawn comparisons to Hank Willis Thomas’s controversial sculpture in the Boston Common, which was criticized for its unintended phallic allusions. There have also been many calls for a better tribute to Turner, like comedian Kevin Fredericks’s video response on X:“What’s art got to do with it? Who is this? She deserved better,” Fredericks said.Hyperallergic has reached out to the artist for comment.But perhaps the artist himself said it best when he acknowledged in his opening remarks that a perfect likeness of the momentous musician was out of anyone’s grasp. “You can copy her, but there’s only one Tina Turner,” he said.I know that ain’t supposed to be no TINA TURNER!! pic.twitter.com/rxfnHhhJLv— Kevín (@KevOnStage) September 29, 2025Many users have advocated for a new sculpture that does better to honor Tina Turner’s life and career.Many users commented on the statue’s overly exaggerated hair. (screenshot Maya Pontone/Hyperallergic via @alanlambodublin on X)Oh … (screenshot Maya Pontone/Hyperallergic via @Evans34610123 on X)