The Danish government has decided to remove a 13-foot tall ‘Big Mermaid’ stone statue from public view at Dragør Fort in Copenhagen, after it invited criticism for its exaggerated features. The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, which is a part of the Danish Ministry of Culture, reportedly noted that it does not suit the fort’s historical environs, which date back to 1910-15.

In a report, The Art Newspaper quoted the Agency as stating: “…the agency determined that alterations had been made to Dragør Fort, including the installation of a large mermaid sculpture, without prior permission. The agency has assessed that the sculpture must be removed from Dragør Fort, as it disrupts the fortification’s military structure and constitutes an element that is unfamiliar to the site.”

The 14-tonne granite statue was first unveiled in Copenhagen in 2006, at a site that was at a distance of a few kilometers from Denmark’s famous bronze statue of the ‘Little Mermaid’ — sculpted by Edvard Eriksen — inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s popular fairytale. Sitting on a rock at Langelinie Pier, it is a major tourist attraction.

Story continues below this ad

In 2018, the Big Mermaid was moved to Dragør Fort that has been constructed on an artificial island south of the city.

While Danish daily Politiken’s art critic Mathias Kryger described the statue as “ugly and pornographic”, Danish newspaper Berlingske journalist Sorine Gotfredsen reportedly wrote: “Erecting a statue of a man’s hot dream of what a woman should look like is unlikely to promote many women’s acceptance of their own bodies.”

The statue has also found support from others. The Berlingske’s editorial page editor, Aminata Corr Thrane, for instance, has been quoted by The Guardian as finding the criticism an act of body shaming. She wrote: “Do naked female breasts have to have a specific academic shape and size to be allowed to appear in public?” She added: “Perhaps the two statues – the Big and the Little Mermaid – represent two sides of woman, and the eternal tug of war about what a real woman is. And perhaps even what a wrong woman is.”

Meanwhile, Danish entrepreneur Peter Bech, who commissioned the statue, has defended it. A report in The Guardian quotes him as stating that the breasts of the statue are of “proportional size”. It also notes that Bech stated that he made the statue in response to remarks by tourists who found the Little Mermaid rather too small in size.

Expand

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd