Sculpture celebrating women in hijab to be unveiled in Birmingham next month

The sculpture is five metres (16 feet) tall and weighs about a tonne. (Representative image)

In a first, a sculpture celebrating women who wear hijab will be unveiled in Birmingham next month, the BBC reported.

The artwork, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, is being called “Strength of the Hijab”. It was designed by Luke Perry and will be installed in the Smethwick area of the West Midlands in October.

The sculpture is five metres (16 feet) tall and weighs about a tonne, according to the BBC. “The Strength of the Hijab is a piece which represents women who wear hijabs of the Islamic faith, and it’s really there because it’s such an underrepresented part of our community, but such an important one,” Perry told The National.

“They need visibility, it’s so important, so working with the community to come up with the designs has been really exciting because we didn’t know what it was going to look like until now.”

“The location of where it’s going is Smethwick, [where] there’s a humongous part of the community that is from the Islamic faith. They wear the hijab as part of their community, and it is really underrepresented. “It’s something which people feel very strongly about, identify with, [and] they feel happy about and comfortable with,” he added.

“But it’s not something which is regularly seen, especially on public art, let alone in a heroic narrative, so this is something that celebrates people who are very much under-celebrated.”

Perry has also designed the Black British History is British History sculpture, alongside Canaan Brown, which was installed in nearby Winson Green in May.

However, that artwork was defaced shortly after. Moreover, Perry acknowledged that while the new sculpture could be “controversial” but it is important for representation.

“There’s a possibility that this piece could be controversial for many different reasons,” he said, adding, “I don’t feel like any of them are valid, but people do, there are a lot of people who object to the differences that we have in our communities, and would like them to be more divided.”

“But the future of our country is about what unites us, not what pulls us apart, which is why it’s important to have representation across the whole of the UK, of everybody that lives here. The reaction has been really, really positive. People have seen some photos, but they haven’t actually seen the sculpture in person,” he further quoted to the outlet.

“I think people are really impressed by the size, certainly, but the level of detail, I think has surprised people too, and that’s really satisfying. I think it’s going to be a loved part of the community.”

The sculpture is commissioned by the Legacy West Midlands charity and is made of steel. It will also be galvanised before its completion.