Lebanon’s Lady of the World Sculpture
Whether you call her Lady of the World, Lady Liberty of Lebanon, or Mindamar, Hayat Nazer’s latest sculpture speaks louder than most other pieces created by sculptors and artists in the name of activism or pride. Soon after the 4th August 2020 explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanese artist and social activist Hayat Nazer began not only working towards restoration by sending out an open call for volunteer workers, she also started working towards building a sculpture out of the rubble from the explosion using broken glass, important broken mementos, and other objects.
When the blast hit the city of Beirut at 6:08 PM on the 4th of August, the whole city was shaken to its core, affecting people deeply and causing destruction that was warned about when it was decided that the warehouse should be used for the chemicals’ storage years ago. Lebanese nationals living in other areas of the Gulf or the world mourned for their families and the loss of homes. While the world attempted to restore the city through donations in kind and finances, one Lebanese woman, an artist, was inspired and decided to send out a request for items she could use in her next sculpture. On August 30th, she requested fans and followers via her Instagram to help her out in her activism against the destruction and to eventually remind the world and the Lebanese government that they would not forget and that they definitely would not forgive. She asked for “broken meaningful items like photo frames, broken clocks, wooden chairs” and more to create the memorial sculpture statue.
By October 4th, a little over a month later, the first images of the completed Lady of the World went up as a post on her profile, asking followers to help name her. A couple of weeks later, she held an event at three separate locations in Beirut to help name the sculpture and celebrate her on October 17th at the Martyr Square, the Karantina, and the Beirut Port. The statue herself is created in the colours of the Lebanese flag with hair made of twisted wires and legs made of broken glass. At her feet lies a broken clock stuck at the time 6:08, which is when the explosion shook the city that evening. Over time, pictures depicted the Lady of the World holding a torch, a sword, and the flag of Beirut in her extended right hand.
This isn’t the first such sculpture Hayat Nazer has created out of broken pieces from people’s lives. Previous statues include the Phoenix she made out of old tent parts which was destroyed by government supporters and haters of her work and the revolution in the city of Beirut. Due to her fears against the Lady of the World getting destroyed too, Nazer will be moving her off the port in the coming days to protect her from government protestors. The artist has not revealed where the Lady will be displayed afterwards, but suggestions by her fans and followers include museum displays amongst other ideas.
Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images
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