“The damage is believed to be intentional,” said executive director of media relations Kevin Quinn. | Courtesy of UH Staff
UH’s temporary art exhibit, Havah… to Breathe, Air, Life, which previously sparked much controversy among the University’s community, was recently found beheaded.
Deemed as “satanic” by students, the sculpture was vandalized amidst the city of Houston being hit by Hurricane Beryl.
“We were disappointed to learn the statue was damaged early Monday morning as Hurricane Beryl was hitting Houston,” said executive director of media relations Kevin Quinn. “The damage is believed to be intentional.”
As of now, UHPD has not released information on possible suspects; however, they received the footage of destruction and are currently investigating the matter, said Quinn.
The sculpture was a co-commissioned between the Public Art UH System and Madison Square Park Conservancy. Back in March, conservative groups protested against the installation of the art piece, claiming it venerates child sacrifice.
However, in a published Q&A by the UH Public Art Committee, they clarified elements in Shahzia Sikander’s exhibit are a testament to the glass ceiling, “resilience of the feminine” and the ability to plant roots across multiple cultures.
UH has been in contact with the artist regarding these developments and conservators have also been called to advise on repairs, said Quinn.
“The artist requests that we leave the sculpture as is without any repairs,” Quinn said. “We respect the artist’s wishes and will leave the sculpture as is.”
Sikander said in an interview to The New York Times that she wants to ‘expose,’ leave it damaged and make a new piece.
“It was a very violent act of hate, and it should be investigated as a crime,” Sikander told The New York Times this week.
The 18-foot golden sculpture of a woman with two thick braids resembling ram horns is located at Cullen Family Plaza until October.
