United Kingdom: an English artist pays tribute to veiled women through a monumental sculpture

The veiled British citizens could not dream of a more beautiful tribute than the grandiose one paid by the very inspired Luke Perry, a sculptor who has his hands in clay and his feet in the land, in the heart of the Black Country.

Once is not customary, it was by tackling steel for more than six months, secluded in his workshop west of Birmingham, that he wanted to worthily celebrate those who suffer from being under -represented in the kingdom of Charles III.

Powerfully evocative, the imposing statue entitled “ The strength of the Hijab », which its committed creator has carefully crafted, does them justice… in a big way. With an eloquent sentence inscribed on its base: “ It is a woman’s right to be loved and respected whatever she chooses to wear. His true strength is in his heart and in his mind “.

“ The idea for this work came to me after having had very informative discussions with several Muslim women wearing the hijab at the Community Connect Foundation, where I work. They all told me about the feeling of devaluation they experience, suffering from being underrepresented. I asked them what works of art they would like to see, they told me, disillusioned, that nothing could be like them“, explained Luke Perry.

4 meters high, his monumental sculpture has stood proudly in Sandwell since August, with the blessing of the local authorities. It not only impresses the West Midlands county, but also impresses Islamophobes of all stripes, the very people who would like to erase the Muslim visibility of the landscape…

“ I’m really happy with the result. But most important to me is the feedback I’ve received from the women most affected by it, and so far it’s been excellent. “, Luke Perry, the English artist of gigantism, told the Birmingham Mail with emotion.