A Pakistani-origin American artist Shahzia Sikandar has made history by installing her version of ‘Lady Justice’ called Havah…to breathe, air, life outside a US court. Shahzia Sikandar’s Now sculpture is located at the courthouse of Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court.
Shahzia Sikander, 53, created the work to raise awareness about the low representation of women in public statues in the United States, which tend to honour white men.
On the roof of a neoclassical building in Manhattan, a woman sculpture measuring eight feet tall and glistening with gold joins Zoroaster, Confucius, Moses, and six other male ancient jurists.
“Representation matters and women representation (matters) in spaces which have been fundamentally very patriarchal, like law and art,” she told AFP.
“So of course, placing the character on the roof of the courthouse, the context of the courthouse allows a very different conversation to take shape,” the 53-year-old added.
Since it first stood in Manhattan’s Flatiron District in the late 19th century, the structure has had 10 plinths. An image of the Prophet Mohammed was taken down from one in 1955 as a result of objections from Pakistan, Indonesia, and Egypt.
Then several statues were moved into position, but a plinth remained empty.
Her statue features a woman with braided horn-like hair rising from a pink lotus flower.
It draws attention to the discrimination that women still experience, “whether it be rights to health and education, equal access to the workforce, gender-based violence, racial discrimination, or class discrimination,” according to Sikander.
Sikander, who was born in Lahore and immigrated to the US 30 years ago, gave his piece the title “NOW” in reference to current events, which his detractors claim have destroyed women’s rights.
