98 Items Tagged

Protest

Pristina, Kosovo

‘Cross-legged’

The sculpture of a man sitting in the middle of the square holds great significance for the young nation of Kosovo.

Greenwich, New Jersey

Greenwich Tea Burning Monument

A memorial to revolutionaries who opposed British taxation.

Westford, Vermont

The Finger

Three wooden middle fingers raised in protest.

Baltic Way Footprints (Riga)

A subtle memorial marks where a human chain protested Soviet control in 1989.

Jarrow, England

The Spirit of Jarrow

A bronze sculpture immortalizes a historic 1936, 26-day-long march for economic relief.

Quezon City, Philippines

UP Carillon Tower’s Original Bells

Student protesters used these bells as symbols of defiance in the early 1970s.

Wellington, New Zealand

Massey Memorial

The mausoleum of New Zealand's controversial prime minister.

An adaptation of Banksy’s “Flower Bomber,” this image shows a librarian throwing Margaret Atwood’s <em>The Handmaid's Tale.</em>

6 Badass Librarians Who Changed History

They will not be shushed.

April White April 5, 2024

Knislinge, Sweden

'Fideicommissum'

A bronze, peeing self-portrait protests unequal inheritance rights.

San Francisco, California

Bernal Hill Rock

This colorful boulder serves as a canvas for political statements and artistic expression.

Flint, Michigan

Sitdowners Memorial Park

A bronze sculpture dedicated to a historic labor dispute in the U.S. automotive industry.

Compton's Cafeteria Riot

San Francisco, California

Site of Compton's Cafeteria Riot

Where a demonstration led to equal rights for one of California's most marginalized communities.

Reform Bill Heads

A public art project to commemorate a tumultuous period in Derby's history.

The city of Pontianak was named after a ghost.

The Time a Town Was in an Uproar Over a 300-Foot Ghost Statue

Cast your votes on the “nightmare Statue of Liberty.”

Natalie Lawrence October 13, 2023

A volcanic rock sits on a pedestal in a park

Mexico City, Mexico

La Piedra del 68 (The Stone of '68)

This simple rock stands as a memorial of the major student protests of 1968.

Podcast: The Woman with the Handbag

How pocketbooks became a symbol of resistance in Sweden.

The Podcast Team May 30, 2023

Until the 1990s, when billboards were banned in Spain, these bulls were painted with the name of Veterano Osborne brandy. The company removed the words and successfully fought to have the enormous bulls considered art.

How These Bull-Shaped Billboards Became Spanish Icons

Once an advertisement for brandy, the Osborne bull is now a symbol of the country.

Ignacio Amigo May 10, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Does English Need a New Alphabet?

Alex Bellos March 13, 2023