Olympic darling Lee Lai-shan may have earned her gold medal, but the statue immortalising her victory isn't worth its weight in bronze, critics say.
The six-metre bronze by artist Choi Kai-yan, commissioned by the Regional Council, has received the thumbs down from art experts.
'How can I say it . . . I don't like it,' said Oscar Ho Hing-kay, exhibition director at Hong Kong Arts Centre. 'All the muscle has been taken out of the body. It's too chunky.
'It doesn't express the athlete's exercise - the strain, the skill. For $400,000 you'd think they could afford better quality,' he said.
The sculpture will be unveiled in a park in Tung Wan, Cheung Chau, tomorrow in the presence of San San, who celebrated her 26th birthday yesterday.
Executive director of the Arts Development Council Katherine Hall said: 'I can't say I'm impressed with it. Maybe when erected it will be different. It doesn't seem to have a kinetic feel. It looks very clumsy and heavy.
