- The artwork, named ‘The Strength of the Hijab’, celebrates Muslim women.
- The sculpture was inspired by Muslim women who felt under-represented and took six months to create.
Celebrating Muslim women, artist Like Perry has constructed an incredible 16ft steel sculpture of a hijabi woman in the Black Country, in England Midlands.
The artwork, named ‘The Strength of the Hijab’, depicts a Muslim woman wearing a hijab with the words ‘it is a woman’s right to be loved and respected whatever she chooses to wear’ inscribed across its base.
The artist said the inspiration for his piece came from speaking to Muslim women in the area who felt “under-represented”.
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“I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. But the most important thing is the feedback we get – which so far has been great,” he told Birmingham Mail.
“The idea for the piece came from speaking to Muslim women who I work with at Community Connect Foundation. I asked them what artwork they would like to see, and they talked about how they have no representation; nothing that looked like them.”
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Perry said the artwork will provide “visibility” for Muslim women and show they too are “powerful, beautiful and strong.”
“They want to be able to show their children things in an environment which makes them feel connected and important and gives them pride. Not just an endless history of rich white men.
“It’s nice to represent the times. It’s about making people feel like they belong somewhere. In my artwork, I like to convey themes of ‘home’ and having pride in the community.”
The stunning art piece, which took six months of work so far, was approved by Sandwell planners in August.
It will be moved to its permanent home near Brasshouse Lane, Smethwick, later this year.
