When originally erected on a street corner in Sydney’s red-light district of Darlinghurst in 1995, the statue of “Joy” provoked local controversy and was subject to vandalism, including a hammer attack by an outraged mother who thought it looked like her daughter. It was removed two years later, but has now been reproduced in more durable bronze after a years-long campaign by sex worker activist Julie Bates. Lord Mayor Clover Moore celebrated the restoration as “rebalancing” public art and “providing more representations of women and other traditionally marginalized groups.” In most respects a faithful copy, the new version omits the cigarette held by the original Joy out of deference to modern sensibilities.
Controversial Sex Worker Statue Restored
