Giant protest statue targeting Zohran Mamdani outside NYC City Hall goes viral

NEW YORK CITY, NY: A large political art installation aimed at New York mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared outside New York City Hall this week after artist Scott LoBaido unveiled a towering sculpture featuring an obscene hand gesture directed at the progressive Democrat.

The installation, placed near City Hall in lower Manhattan, went viral online quickly, with videos and images shared across social media platforms. The display featured a giant hand making the gesture, along with a message slamming Mamdani’s political positions and his growing influence in New York City politics.

Scott LoBaido unveils political installation near City Hall

LoBaido, a New York-based performance artist known for politically themed public stunts and installations, said the display was intended as a form of protest against Mamdani and the direction of progressive politics in the city.

Video footage shared widely on X showed the piece facing City Hall, drawing immediate crowds.

LoBaido, known for patriotic paintings and sculptures as well as public protests, placed the work around 3.40 pm ET. It remained in place into the evening with no immediate removal by authorities.

Over the years, the artist has staged multiple installations tied to immigration policy, law enforcement, and national political debates.

The sculpture is LoBaido’s expression of frustration at Mamdani’s leadership.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, was sworn in as mayor on January 1, 2026, making him the youngest mayor in the city in more than a century.

Political installations become recurring feature in culture wars

LoBaido’s display arrives amid a trend of politically charged public installations targeting major national figures across the political spectrum.

A number of anti-Trump public artworks and protest displays have appeared in major cities in recent months, including installations referencing President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. The projects also created a lot of buzz online due to their provocative visuals and symbolic messages.

Mamdani was also previously criticized for a 2020 social media post in which he gestured mockingly to a Christopher Columbus statue in Astoria, Queens, and wrote “Take it down,” Fox News reported.

The image, which was resurrected, sparked outrage from Italian-American groups during his run for mayor, according to the New York Post. Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams had moved to landmark some Columbus statues in part in response to Mamdani’s past statements.

Artist LoBaido has a documented history of using art and direct action against city policies.

He previously protested congestion pricing by mounting a vehicle and displaying a large middle-finger sign to cameras at Columbus Circle, leading to his arrest in January 2025, per SILive.

He has also thrown pizzas over the gates of City Hall to oppose restrictions on coal- and wood-fired ovens, Fox News reported.