Locals have been startled by a spooky sculpture depicting a girl drowning in a river that emerged overnight. This week, a heated discussion erupted in a Spanish community over a strange artwork depicting a huge girl ‘letting herself die’ in water. While some people think the artwork is powerful and emotional, others say it makes them feel anxious and unpleasant to the vista near the Zuri Zuri Bridge in the city’s center. ‘Bihar,’ a melancholy work by Mexican artist Ruben Orozco, meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Basque, the region’s native language. It was put in the River Nervion last Thursday in the middle of the night, with no previous notice.
The art’s startling effect at different times of day is part of generating such a buzz. The girl’s head may be seen peeping barely above the water when the tide is out as if she is ready to fall under.
However, when the tide rolls in, her head is submerged, leaving behind an unsettling still picture of her dying moments.
When gazing at the contentious artwork, several locals have expressed a wide variety of feelings.
“At first, it gave me a sensation of worry when more of the face came out of the water,” Triana Gil, a local, told Reuters, “but now to me she conveys grief, a lot of sadness.”
“She doesn’t even appear to be concerned; it’s as if she’s allowing herself to drown.”
Another spectator, Maria, assumed that the artwork had been placed by the city as a tribute to a previous catastrophe.
“I learned today that’s not what it’s about,” she explained, “but I think people can individually give it their meaning.”
The artist says she symbolizes what may happen “if we continue to gamble on unsustainable methods” with her floating statement, which raises global warming and sustainability issues.
He’s no stranger to causing a stir in the city; two years ago, a life-size statue of a lonely lady resting on a park seat sparked a debate on loneliness.
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