A testament to the power of art
In an artist statement, Sikander noted that "Witness" forcibly reinserts women as participants in and spectators of patriarchal law and morality, demanding agency and autonomy through natural elements in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade and Justice Ginsburg's 2020 death. When it came time for the works to be installed at the University of Houston campus last February, Sikander and the school were met with intense backlash from far-right, anti-choice lobbyists and organizations that decried the work as a "satanic abortion idol" and petitioned for the exhibition's cancelation. from Shahzia Sikander Says No to Repairing Her Beheaded Sculpture [Hyperallergic]
Shahzia Sikander's public sculpture vandalised [Art Review] Vandals Target Shahzia Sikander Sculpture Honoring Women's Rights [ArtNet]
Shahzia Sikander's public sculpture vandalised [Art Review] Vandals Target Shahzia Sikander Sculpture Honoring Women's Rights [ArtNet]