Santa Fe police investigate arson of sculpture
Aug. 22—Santa Fe police on Sunday were trying to determine who set fire to a 21-foot tall sculpture outside a downtown art gallery.
Firefighters responded to the blaze just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Form & Concept gallery at Guadalupe and Read streets.
They put out the flames within 20 minutes, Santa Fe battalion commander Scott Ouderkirk said.
Detectives were investigating the fire as an arson, Santa Fe police Chief Andrew Padilla said. A photo taken by a bystander showed a red gas can at the base of the sculpture.
Padilla said police were reviewing surveillance footage to try to identify a suspect.
The sculpture, called The Solacii and created by Tigre Mashaal-Lively, was made of steel frame pipes, fiber glass and fabric.
"The Solacii is a queer and Afrofuturist expression of comfort and solace by a local artist of color, and its burning is an undeniable act of violence against the artist and a considerable cross section of their community," the gallery's owner and staff said in a statement.
Police urged anyone with information on the arson to call them at 505-428-3710.
