‘It is about love and hope’: Artist defends plan to display ‘Love God’ statue outside Wakefield Cathedral

Jason Wilsher-Mills said the artwork is inspired by the love story between his parents and is intended to carry a message of hope.

More than 60 objections have been made to Wakefield Council since a planning application was submitted for the 1.9m tall bronze statue.

The sculpture is earmarked for a site near to the cathedral and the entrance to The Ridings shopping centre.

Most objections are over its close proximity to the cathedral, with some claiming it ‘mocks Christianity’.

Notes ‘in the artist’s own words’ have been submitted to the council.

Mr Wilsher-Mills states: “My work celebrates disability, my northern working-class heritage and popular culture, through cutting edge technologies and brightly coloured, large scale humorous, but challenging art.

“I am an artist who was born and raised in Wakefield. I grew up on council estates in Ossett, Gawthorpe and Eastmoor.

“My family’s connection with the city goes back generations, and I am the proud descendant of coal miners, cotton mill workers and Irish immigrants, who chose Wakefield rather than go West to America.

“I was a very active child but fell ill with chicken pox when I was 11 years old, with the virus attacking my central nervous system, causing me to be paralysed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair. I needed 24-hour care and had to spend one year in Pinderfields Hospital.”

The artist said the work has been inspired by the painting of Victorian conservationist Charles Waterton capturing a caiman, the love story of his mum and dad and his own connections with the city.

Waterton has strong links to the city and was a sponsor of Wakefield Museum.

The artist also said: “It features universal themes that all people can relate to, such as caring for others and our environment.

“The sculpture is a representation of these wonderful human experiences and qualities.

“It takes on huge themes, such as climate crisis and loss, but it does this in a very human way, which all will relate to and recognise.

“It is about love and hope – this is its central message.

“The story which inspired my ideas spans the past 80 years but starts over 200 years earlier.

“My proposal has a direct connection with Squire Charles Waterton and his adventures in South America, but it is not directly about him.

“I want to pay tribute to those carers in the community who have fought so valiantly throughout the covid-19 lockdown and beyond, caring for their disabled relatives and the most vulnerable in society, throughout the most challenging of times.

“These diverse narratives work well together, as the themes of the work are love, family, and compassion.

“This commission is so important to me because it is about my home, my personal history, and the social justice themes, including the environment crisis, which I am passionate about.”

Barnsley poet and television presenter Ian McMillan has been commissioned to write a piece of poetry to accompany the sculpture.

Mr Wilsher-Mills adds: “The sculpture depicts an Amazonian Caiman god, who would be holding the two lovers in his right hand, and making sure mum and dad arrived on the ferry boat to Walton Hall, the home of Squire Waterton.

“This would serve as a metaphor for caring for the earth, as well as being about personal love stories.

“He will wear leg callipers, because he is a proud depiction of disability, and takes back the power of those charity boxes from the 1970s and 80s, which had a real impact on me as a disabled child, as I wore iron leg callipers.

“It will be a real talking point and a new landmark for Wakefield and beyond.

“My hope is that through doing this it will create a new awareness in the minds of the people of Wakefield of their own global presence and diverse connections to the wider world.”

The statue is one of five pieces of artwork planned for a Government-funded £1m sculpture trail through the city centre.

The sculptures are expected to be in place by Summer 2023, subject to planning permission.