Visit Shark Girl in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo, NY, sits a girl on a rock in a blue dress; her name is Shark Girl. As you get closer to her, you realize it’s not an actual girl who has gone mad. Shark Girl is just a beautiful sculpture.
Artist Casey Riordan created this incredible sculpture to help her get over her fear of sharks. She grew up during the time of the movie Jaws and was terrified of swimming in the pool. As she got older and experienced “irrational fears” it would take her to her shark-fearing days. To calm herself, she got to work and developed the Shark Girl.
Shark Girl sculpture
On a few boulders sits a girl in a blue dress with red flats and a large red bow tied around her back. On her head is a shark head, with its jaw open, displaying a set of sharp teeth. The image is similar to that of the original Jaws movie poster. Her hands are folded in her lap, and she appears calm. According to the artist, the girl’s dress was popular during that time.
The fiberglass sculpture was built in 2012 for the Ohio River Downtown. After two years of being in Ohio, it was marked-up with graffiti. Public art curator at the Albright–Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, Aaron Ott, purchased the sculpture and moved it to its new permanent spot in Buffalo. Since 2014, Buffalo citizens have been able to walk to Roswell Park Bridge of Hope and enjoy this amazing sculpture and popular landmark.
Casey Riordan has used the shark girl image in her other artwork, prints, and paintings, and has even writes a book. You can purchase Shark Girl and Belly Button on our store or wherever else books are sold.
