I’m sitting on the back of a man.
He is sinking under the burden.
I would do anything to help him.
Except stepping down from his back.
The Danish artist Jens Galchiot (AIDOH: Art in Defense of Humanism) was given permission to temporarily install this statue, “Survival of the Fattest”, in the Copenhagen harbour.
The fat woman is meant to represent “Justitia”, the western goddess of justice, a symbol of the rich world’s self-complacent “righteousness”. With a pair of scales in her hand she sits on the back of a starved African man (i.e the third world) while pretending to do what is best for him.
This picture was all over the news, and I clipped it out of the paper and put it on the fridge to show the kids.
What didn’t make my paper was the subsequent act of vandalism. The statue was toppled, and it sunk to the bottom of the harbor. Jens Galchiot and his assistant came to it’s rescue and re-installed it, at the expense of the artist.
Here’s a photo of Mr. Galchiot during the rescue operation.
I feel a sense of shame when I compare my own efforts in the struggle against climate change with those of this white-haired gentleman. Surely if he can use his energy and talents to work on this issue, I can do more than twitch uneasily in front of my computer, bemoaning our collective inertia.
…no matter what, every little bit helps, like using your clothline instead of the dryer…
thanks oma. maybe time to ramp it up a bit though?
lol. your comments above. what an amazing sculpture and words. thanks for showing me this! i see you found belgian wffle too! aint she amazing!?
hey, that was me above! not sure what happenned??…
Belgian Waffle consistently cracks me up. I suspect that she’s actually a very organized and together sort of person, even with all that self-deprecation. Those kids look suspiciously well parented.
she is wicked wicked wicked. all my unspoken wickedness in a blog! i LOVE her. And yes, i do also think she is a very high functioning self deprecating highly intelligent woman who does also struggle with depression. But sheesh, she makes me L.A.U.G.H. Her blog and yours and a very small handful of others are the ones i hang out for posts from!