DIA’s demonic blue zombie horse: A love letter
Photo by George Rose
I love the demonic blue zombie horse at DIA. It is, hands down, my favorite piece of public art. Just so we’re clear, it is not only my favorite piece of public art in Denver, it is my favorite piece of public art anywhere.
I realize that preferring this fiberglass nightmare to, say, the timeless majesty of the Eiffel Tower marks me as some sort of art ignoramus. I don’t care. More precisely, I don’t give a fuck—because the demon blue horse does not give a fuck either, and that’s part of why I love him so very much.
I’ve loved Denver since before I moved here more than a decade ago, but the Queen City’s stock has never risen as high with me as it did the day that statue went up at our airport. Until then, our city’s collection of public art was a tepid collection of vague, formless, pointless bullshit. Big blue bear at the convention center? Eh, kinda cute, I guess. Dancing aliens? Quirky! And also kind of stupid. All that weird abstract bullshit at various parks and what not? It falls somewhere between boring and egregious eyesore. Giant library broom? LOLWUT? But the demon horse? Now that’s a piece of art I can get behind. And, while I am back there, hope it doesn’t kick me in the face so hard that my grandchildren are still feeling it.
Right now, DIA is running a survey to solicit opinions on the experience of our airport, with a whole section of it dedicated to the demon horse and other artwork present there. I can promise you that people who hate our beautiful blue buddy will be all over that survey asking for it to be taken down. And I implore you, the good readers of The A.V. Club, to reach out and bomb that survey with love for the demon horse, lest the forces of namby-pamby inoffensive bullshit art win out and get Denver’s most badass sculpture removed.
In case you aren’t convinced of the worth of our demon friend, here are five reasons I love that goddamn thing (and you should too).
1. It’s a demon. Or maybe a zombie. Or a demonic zombie: As an ardent horror movie fan, I feel that the horrific, terrifying, and dark side of the supernatural is given short shrift in our artistic expression as a society—way too many angels, not nearly enough demons. This goes a long way toward making Denver safe for evil.
2. It looks like a badass take on our favorite local team’s mascot: Nothing says “Denver” more than the Broncos, and it can’t be a coincidence that the statue looks like a souped up, tricked out, and thoroughly kick-ass version of the Broncos mascot. In fact, why the hell haven’t they abandoned the weirdly phallic horse head that currently adorns the side of their helmets for this bad boy? Elway, are you listening?
3. It’s genuinely dangerous: Seriously, it killed its creator. That’s some serious street cred, there. As a bonus, it’s even been tied to some of the ludicrous conspiracy theories espoused about DIA, which isn’t precisely dangerous, but is still pretty awesome.
4. People fucking hate it: You know all that public art I mentioned earlier? How do you feel about it? Mild amusement? Mild distaste? Mild affection? Exactly—mild something, whatever it might be, is the general reaction people have to our public art. The demon horse? That motherfucker stirs up some passion! And needless to say, not everyone embraces it with the same wild abandon I do. Most people loathe it. And in my book, if you can piss that many people off, you are definitely doing something right.
5. Look at it—how can you not love it?: It towers over the landscape like some kind of mythical beast, with glowing red eyes and creepy, veiny goodness all over it. It looks powerful, defiant, dangerous, and it’s a lovely shade of blue. What’s not to like? It is a nightmare made manifest reality, greeting all and sundry to Denver, telling the world, “Welcome to Denver, and, by the way, fuck you; we’re badass!” Not every city has the balls to say that, and I am pleased to live in one that does.
Photo by George Rose
