‘Liberty’ is a reaction to current political situation that has recently magnified issues of sexism, racism and discrimination not only in the US but in our society as a whole.

‘Liberty’ sculpture objectifies, depersonalises and dehumanises women. Based on the Statue of Liberty, it replaces her face and her personality with her vagina as if that part of the body was the most important, as if that identifies her as opposed to her face or her personality.

Showing our face helps our integration with the world and is the means of communicating. Hiding it and replacing it with female genitals highlights the fact that a woman’s sexuality is given more significance in the public eye than her identity.

The sculpture, on one hand, is an anti establishment piece. It juxtaposes the Statue of Liberty, an icon of freedom and of the United States as a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad, against the state of the female position in society, amplified by the current political situation as many recent public statements and messages have significantly devalued and compromised this ideology of freedom.

On the other hand, the piece glorifies the female form to pay homage to the women all over the world. The artwork is a metaphor for bringing the power back to women, crowning the part of our body that defines our gender, with a symbol inspiring contemplation, debate and a protest, of ideals such as democracy, liberty, peace, human rights and opportunity. It reminds us of the ideals that the Statue of Liberty stood for in the past, that women and men collectively still need to fight for, especially now in the times of the current political and social instability that causes anxiety and fear mongering in masses.

Originally named Liberty Enlightening the World, the statue’s “stream of light shall pierce the darkness of ignorance and man’s oppression until Liberty enlightens the world.” Groveller Cleveland

The sculpture, on one hand, is an anti establishment piece that mocks America. It juxtaposes the Statue of Liberty, an icon of freedom and of the United States as a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad, against the state of the female position in society, amplified by the current political situation as many recent public statements and messages have significantly devalued and compromised this ideology of freedom.