A pedestrian walks past a controversial work at the Socrates Sculpture Park, a waterfront exhibition space in New York.

There is only one statue shrouded by a wood fence in Socrates Sculpture Park, a waterfront exhibition space in Queens. It is also the only one with its own warning sign.The fence was quietly put up this month after complaints in online publications about the sculpture, "Bear Eats Man," reached the park's operators. The statue shows a giant wooden bear standing behind a crude spray-foam figure of a nude man, sinking his teeth into the man's right shoulder - nature dominating man, according to literature accompanying the piece.But critics did not interpret the animal's grip on the man - its paws gently resting on the man's hips - as a bear hug. Moreover, the man appears to be experiencing sensations other than fear: He has an erection.After the statue was installed in September, The Daily News noted the man's possible arousal.A well-read Queens blogger who goes by the name George the Atheist followed last month with his own conclusion."Bestiality Sanctioned at Queens Park" was his headline, which appeared above an open letter to the New York City parks commissioner, Veronica M. White, detailing the statue's perceived offenses."Little innocent New York City schoolchildren visit this park quite often. Must they be subjected to such an offensive, disgraceful and outrageous depiction of bad taste, questionable 'art,' and obvious pornography?" the blogger wrote. His objections were repeated on other sites.The Parks Department declined to discuss the new fence.The Socrates park twosome is by Thordis Adalsteinsdottir, an Icelandic artist based in New York who was one of 15 recipients this year in the sculpture park's decade-old emerging artist fellowship, which John Hatfield, the park's executive director, said includes $5,000 in materials, studio space and a spot in the grassy exhibition space, across the street from the Noguchi Museum. The artists are cultivated by two curators, who oversee their work periodically over four months.The park is run by a nonprofit organization funded by public and private money, and is frequented by school groups as well as tourists.Through Hatfield, Adalsteinsdottir declined to comment on her sculpture."She is genuinely shy," Hatfield wrote in an email.The sculpture park denies there is anything untoward about the bear's embrace."The man is depicted in shock and an involuntary reflexive response at the moment of being attacked," Hatfield wrote.Nevertheless, in the wake of complaints, there was an internal debate over what to do. Options included modifying and removing the sculpture altogether.Officials struck a compromise: the wood fence, which cost $250. The warning sign tells parents and others of the presence of a nude male form and advises them to preview it before allowing children to see it.

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"We are presenting it and showing it," Hatfield said. "It's an interesting and engaging piece."