Downey said Melania was basically an immigrant married to a president bent on curbing immigration. AFP
After Melania cake, Melania honey, and even Melania slippers, now a sculpture of U.S. first lady Melania Trump was unveiled near her hometown of Sevnica in southeastern Slovenia on Friday.
A life-size rough wooden sculpture of Melania was commissioned by Berlin-based American artist Brad Downey and carved with a chainsaw by local folk artist Ales Zupevc.
The statue serves as a — perhaps wry — accompaniment to Downey's exhibition in the capital Ljubljana exploring Melania's roots in the small Alpine country.
The sculpture was carved into a tree using a chainsaw and depicts Melania in a blue dress raising her left hand in a waving gesture, emulating a pose she struck at her husband's 2017 inauguration.
The monument of Melania Trump, set in the fields near town of Sevnica. AFP
People take pictures of the sculpture by the artist Ales Zupevc, who claims it is the first ever monument of Melania. AFP
The first ever monument of Melania Trump, set in the fields near town of Sevnica, US First Lady’s hometown.
People gather around the life-size wooden sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump. AFP
The sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump is officially unveiled in Rozno, near her hometown of Sevnica. Reuters
People gather around the sculpture of Melania Trump. Reuters
"Perhaps we are simply trying vigorously to make sense of things that might only be a slapstick prank," it says in a leaflet. "Who knows?"
Downey said he wanted to "have a dialogue with my country's political situation" and highlight Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a president sworn to reduce immigration.
The sculptor, known as Maxi, was born in the same hospital as Melania Trump, in the same month, and now mostly works as a pipe-layer.
"Let's face it," he says in a short film being shown as part of the exhibition, "she owns half of America while I have nothing."
Reuters