Ship this thing out of here!<\/p>\n
Hamptonites are panning a towering new 60-foot sculpture made of a dozen steel shipping containers as a \u201cgrotesque\u201d and \u201chideous\u201d monstrosity \u2013 and hope a court will banish the \u201cjunkyard mess\u201d from their posh enclave.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Los Angeles artist Matt Johnson\u2019<\/a>s massive outdoor sculpture, \u201cMeditating Figure<\/a>,\u201d went up along with two other large-scale works at a Montauk art gallery called The Ranch on June 27. The 26-acre site on what was once protected farmland is private property.<\/p>\n Locals behold the dubious new art installation at \u201cThe Ranch\u201d in Montauk that some say \u201clooks like the LIE during Friday rush hour\u201d and a \u201cfriggen junkyard mess.\u201d Courtesy of The Ranch<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re grotesque and ugly and out of place on Old Montauk Highway,\u201d moaned East Hampton<\/a> resident Mitchel Agoos, who added that the \u201cmonstrosity\u201d of each 40-foot-long container <\/strong>reminds him of the East 42nd street building <\/a>that\u2019s on the brink of collapse.<\/p>\n \u201cIt detracts from the gorgeous landscape. I wouldn\u2019t want this near me \u2013 it\u2019s dreck.\u201d<\/p>\n The behemoth is \u201cunsightly,\u201d blasted Dr. Jennifer Jablow of Southampton. \u201cMost of the sculptures out here enhance the area\u2019s nature \u2013 not fight it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe live out here for the beauty of the nature, and this feels very rough,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The gallery defends the cheeky piece<\/a> as a socioeconomic metaphor \u2013 a \u201cdeity built by capital and consumption; a reality of the daily contemporary experience.\u201d It described a \u201dcontemplative giant\u201d sitting cross-legged in the lotus position with arms resting on his knees.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the East Hampton Town board, which oversees the hamlet of Montauk<\/a>, felt anything but namaste Tuesday when it voted 4 to 1<\/a>\u00a0to take legal action against the posh gallery after it allegedly ignored multiple charges, including failures to obtain a building permit and certificate of occupancy, spokesman Patrick Derenze confirmed to The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n Artist Matt Johnson, 47, has mounted similar installations that received critical acclaim. He said his shipping containers in storage that traveled 12 million miles at sea became his muse. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Town attorney Jake Turner argued that the structure \u2013 \u201cmelding large pieces of metal together\u201d \u2013 required safety checks. \u201cIf we don\u2019t take action then we are compromising the safety of the residents.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawyer argued that even private property has to be up to code.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a matter of what is being displayed, but how it\u2019s being displayed \u2026 and make sure it\u2019s legal.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n But Ranch owner and art dealer Max Levai painted the town\u2019s case as flimsy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019d like to display sculptures on my property for my enjoyment, that\u2019s my right,\u201d he defiantly declared when contacted by The Post. \u201cAnd if they\u2019re not structures, they don\u2019t need to be permitted.\u201d<\/p>\n Approval for a building permit can take up to five months, while the exhibit, called \u201cLA Monumental,\u201d is slated to run through Nov. 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n LA artist Matt Johnson\u2019s \u201cMeditating Figure\u201d is in the crosshairs of the Town of East Hampton, which voted to authorize legal action against the posh art gallery that allegedly ignored multiple charges. Courtesy of The Ranch<\/p>\n Levai said the town hasn\u2019t notified him of any legal action. \u201cI want this resolved and for everybody to be happy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Montauk was cultivated by pop artist icon Andy Warhol as an artist\u2019s colony half a century ago.\u00a0\u201cBut this exhibit really stretches the definition of \u2018art,\u2019\u201d said Water Mill resident Adam Weiss.<\/p>\n