Jason de Caires reacts to his sculptures being destroyed by the Maldivian Authorities

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Jason de Caires reacts to his sculptures being destroyed by the Maldivian Authorities

September 27, 2018 - 11:51
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Last week, a sculpture museum at a luxury island resort in The Maldives was destroyed after the government deemed it anti-Islamic.

The Coralarium, created by British artist and environmentalist Jason deCaires Taylor, was a steel cube with 30 life-size sculptures within it. Some stood at tidal level, while others were beneath the ocean.

Maldivian police deemed the artwork ”human form” sculptures, the depiction of which is discouraged under Islamic law, and It was demolished last week using axes and an angle grinder.

Hardline Islam rejects any man-made depiction of the human form. But that’s been increasingly hard to enforce in the modern world.

Jason DeCaires Taylor insists his statues had no religious meaning whatsoever. Instead, they sought to capture the simplicity of the human form and behaviour.

Jason deCaires Taylor writes:

Sculptures Destroyed at the Coralarium 

On Friday last week I was extremely shocked and heartbroken to learn that my sculptures have been destroyed by the Maldivian Authorities at the Coralarium, despite continued consultations and dialogue.

The Coralarium was conceived to connect humans to the environment and a nurturing space for marine life to thrive. Nothing else!

The Maldives is still beautiful, with a warm and friendly population but it was a sad day for art and sad day for the environment.





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On a more positive note 

The new installation Nexus has just officially opened in Oslo this weekend.The new works which comprise of 15 sculptures are situated in Oslo fjord and float both on the surface of the water and two metres underwater. 
Commissioned as part of a new children's art centre named Sjøholmen, they aim to encourage the young community to explore the diverse marine life in the surrounding Fjords.  


The Initial works which were installed at the end of last year have already been heavily colonised by mussels, shrimps, barnacles and bright orange sea squirts.


During the winter, the fjord can freeze over with 30cm of ice, allowing the works to be explored underwater through a filter of blues and greens, reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis.


The site of the installation is marked by two bronze sculptures on a floating wave textured cement pontoon which is designed to create a bridge between the shore and the underwater pieces. The artworks are extremely shallow at 2m and can either be viewed via snorkelling, diving or a glass bottom canoe.


Each of the underwater works is tethered to the Fjord floor by means of a "umbilical cord" which signifies our inherent connection and dependance on the natural world.


For further details on the Nexus, Norway project please contact:

www.underwatersculpture.com
info@underwatersculpture.com
Instagram
#jasondecairestaylor

 


Copyright (C) 2018 Jason deCaires Taylor All rights reserved.
 
 
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