Fish statue disappears from the port promenade – but there’s a valid reason

If you have taken a stroll along the port promenade recently, you will have noticed that something is missing, something that had proved to be very popular over past few years for photographers and visitors alike. Very few people would have walked past it without taking out their cameras and smartphones and line up various features through the hole in the middle of it, perfect for uploading to social media.

The metal structure of a large fish – El Pez Zorro – was located along the Paseo de la Marina Española. Created by local artist Toni Marí Sart, it had been part of an exhibition at the Casa del Cable during the pandemic and had remained in place after its conclusion. However, it was never meant to be a permanent addition to the promenade.

Speaking to xabiaaldia.com in response to concerns about the sculpture’s sudden disappearance, the artist explained that it was always planned to remove it at some point: “The sculpture was mine, and I simply sold it. Someone who is building a house commissioned it and asked me to keep it until it was finished. The time has come, and I handed it over.”

He added that: “It wasn’t placed there by the [local council] or any institution. It was part of that exhibition and there it stayed. There was never a formal agreement for it to remain permanently. I told them I had to remove it because it had already been sold, and there was no objection. If the [local council] wants another one, I’m open to doing it, but there hasn’t been any interest either during this term or the last.”

Social media was initially full of comments from people who thought it had been stolen or had been removed for restoration work, surprised and saddened by its disappearance.