FORTY of Antony Gormley's Another Place statues were dressed in superhero costumes yesterday as Fathers 4 Justice mounted a protest on Crosby beach.
Members of the campaign group, who usually climb tall buildings wearing the outfits, arrived at the beach at 6.30am and began kitting out the iron sculptures.
The statues wore white T-shirts and purple capes and ribbons, to represent the international colour of equality.
Messages were attached, quoting statistics such as: "100 children lose contact with their fathers every day because of the family courts." Another read:: "100 men commit suicide every year as a direct result of the Child Support Agency."
Mike Green, Liverpool branch coordinator, said the group chose to decorate 40 statues because 40% of fathers who go through the family courts lose contact with their children within eight years.
He added: "This work of art is an important asset to Merseyside and Britain. Mr Gormley wanted it to be for the public and we are making full use of it.
"We wanted to do something different from our usual tactic and this seemed like a great idea. It has been a lovely day and people have been stopping and talking to us. They are genuinely shocked when they read some of the facts.
"Hopefully, those people will take that information away with them, so that the next time they see Spider-Man on a roof, or Batman on a crane, they will understand our reasons for doing it."
He added: "The artwork is very apt for our cause. There are 100 men looking out to sea, and we are looking out for our children because they are in another place as well."
Founded in 2002, previous Fathers 4 Justice protests include one member scaling Buckingham Palace dressed as Batman, and others hurling a purple flour bomb at Tony Blair in the House of Commons.
In 2003, members brought chaos to Liverpool city centre by clambering onto a walkway near the Pier Head, and last Christmas, a group dressed as superheroes and Santas climbed the Radio City tower.
Mr Gormley, who created Gateshead's Angel of the North sculpture, installed Another Place at Crosby beach in June.
Since then, the statues, previously displayed in Norway and Germany, have generated international media interest.
The sculptures, which are cast from the artist's body, are due to be shipped to New York in November 2006.
However, Mr Gormley admitted Crosby was the best location for the artwork. Earlier this month, Crosby's Labour MP Claire Curtis-Thomas wrote to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, asking him to help raise £1.5m to keep the work on Merseyside.
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