MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three days after its removal, Tommy Kha's artwork depicting Elvis Presley at Memphis International Airport was re-installed late Wednesday.
A crew could be seen putting the piece back in its original place, where it had been hanging since February.
The piece, which is a photograph of an Asian man wearing an Elvis outfit, was originally submitted by Kha, an Asian-American artist from Memphis.
It was selected to be displayed in the airports newly-renovated Concourse B by a committee led by Memphis' Urban Art Commission.
The artwork received intense backlash from travelers, some of them racially motivated, which the airport called "completely inappropriate."
The airport authority initially decided to remove the piece due to the strong complaints, but President and CEO Scott Brockman said he appreciates the community's support of Tommy and decided to reinstall the artwork.
"As stated, when the airport created its art program, our goal was to purchase and display artwork that did not include public figures or celebrities but made an exception in this case," Brockman said. "The Airport Authority will continue to emphasize local artists, diversity, and inclusion with this art program, and we will explore additional best practices to address how we handle complaints and public feedback about our artwork."