Angry Villagers in a Slovenian Town Set Fire to a Creepy Wooden Statue With a Striking Resemblance to Donald Trump

Arsonists have torched a giant,
folk art-style sculpture that looks like Donald Trump. The
25-foot-tall wooden sculpture, called Statue of
Liberty, had recently been moved to a Slovenian village
after it had been threatened in its original home. The local mayor,
who had provide asylum for the work, has vowed to replace it in
stone as police hunt for the
culprits, who struck before dawn on Thursday, January 9.

The sculpture depicts a
blond-haired man with his right arm raised in the style
of Lady Liberty. But instead of a torch, the figure is holding up a
clenched fist.

The work, by the Slovenian
architect and artist Tomaž Schlegl, caused a stir last
August when it was first erected outside the village of Sela. He
wanted to turn the sleepy village into a tourist destination, as
well as to provoke discussions about populist political leaders who
claim to represent the will of the people.

The nutcracker-like kinetic
sculpture was capable of two expressions, intended to serve as a
commentary on the two faces of populist politicians. The
sculpture’s tight-lipped neutral face could give way to an angry
gaping mouth revealing pointed teeth.

Speaking to Artnet News when the sculpture was first unveiled,
Schlegl claimed that the figure is “not Donald Trump,” though the
sculpture looks a lot like the US president. “This is the
Statue of Liberty,” Schlegl said. “If people interpret it
to be about Trump, if they see him in it, that’s up to them. Trump
is the personification of total liberty because he has shown that
he can do and say whatever he wants and he won’t be held
accountable.” Artnet News reached out to Schlegl for comment on the
arson attack, but did not immediately hear back.

An industrious troupe of locals
helped to create the provocative sculpture—but not everyone was happy with the attraction.
Some villagers in Sela were overwhelmed by the international
attention the work was garnering, and others called it an eyesore
and threatened to destroy it. One angry local even tried to mow it
down with a tractor.

In order to save it from
vandalism, the work was given asylum in December by the mayor of
another village called Moravče. The mayor, Milan Balažic, hoped
that it would boost tourism, perhaps drawing inspiration from
another popular folk art sculpture of the
First Lady Melania, which was installed near her hometown of
Sevnica.

Speaking at a press conference
after the blaze, Balažic condemned the destruction of the work.
“The author of the sculpture
has repeatedly pointed out that the Statue of Liberty
speaks of freedom and peace,” he said, according to the Slovenian
outlet MMC.
“Today’s attack by arsonists is a manifestation of Slovenian
political culture and intolerance towards artistic projects in our
society.”

Two days earlier, there had been
another attempted arson attack on the sculpture, and it is thought
that the same perpetrators came back to finish the
job. “In the
Middle Ages, witches burned, Nazis burned books, but today we have
come so far that some burn statues,” Balažic said.

The mayor will not be defeated,
however. He is reported to be planning a new stone statue to be
erected on the hilltop as a reminder for visitors to strive for
tolerance.

The post Angry Villagers in a Slovenian Town Set Fire to a
Creepy Wooden Statue With a Striking Resemblance to Donald
Trump appeared first on artnet News.