“Witness,” a larger-than-life, 18-foot golden statue of a levitating woman, was originally commissioned by the Madison Square Park Conservancy in Manhattan and an appellate court of the Supreme Court of the State of New York nearby. Created as a celebration of women and justice, the statue’s hair was braided into two ram horns (a symbol of strength, according to Madison Square Park’s exhibition guide) and features a large hoop skirt — inspired by the stained-glass ceiling dome at the courthouse — smattered with shards of painted mosaic pieces: A woman decorated by a broken glass ceiling.
But these artistic features, particularly the braided horns and abstract branch-like arms, have drawn criticism and attention. In February, a Texas anti-abortion group called the piece – which also features an intricate lace collar – a “satanic” memorial of the late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and staged a protest demanding the removal of the artwork. The university cancelled an opening celebration of Sikander’s work along with a scheduled talk from the artist.
