‘The work is now a witness to the fissures in our country:’ Shahzia Sikander in The Washington Post

'At 3 a.m. on July 8, a man with a hammer decapitated an 18-foot sculpture of a woman at the University of Houston. I made this sculpture, and I called it “Witness” as an allegory of the power — or rather the lack of power — that women are accorded within the justice system.'

'As the artist who created the work, I have chosen not to repair it. I want to leave it beheaded, for all to see. The work is now a witness to the fissures in our country.'

'It is my prerogative — some would argue responsibility — as an artist to ask how art can reimagine society. When we are witnessing a regression of women’s rights around the world, especially in the United States, art can function as a vehicle of defiance. It can also be a path toward rectification.'

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Image: Shahzia Sikander, Witness, 2023

July 30 2024