
Inside the art piece that showcases Vice President Kamala Harris’ many broken glass ceilings
The piece by Swiss artist Simon Berger was unveiled in Washington D.C. on Feb. 4 and now goes to New York for a permanent home.
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July 25th, 2022Swiss artist Simon Berger commemorated Kamala Harris, the first woman, Black and South Asian Vice President of the United States by creating an art piece made entirely of shattered glass.
The piece was unveiled at the National Mall on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
Berger immediately began working on the piece after the presidential election last November. It was created in Switzerland and shipped to Washington D.C.
The eccentric, shattered-glass piece weighs almost 350 pounds and is six feet tall.
“I like creating beautiful things through destruction,” he told Artnet News.
Berger wanted to create something that would put more attention on the remarkable history that was made on Jan. 20, 2021, when Harris was sworn into office.
“I hit the glass directly with the hammer so that cracks and impacts occur,” Berger wrote to the news outlet in an email.
This is not the first time that he used a hammer and glass in place of a paintbrush.
Last year, he created an entire exhibit to show off artwork he made using just a chisel and a hammer and put it on display in Basel, Switzerland.
Many of his fans came away wondering how he created such detailed masterpieces with so few instruments?
The artist, who is also a carpenter, is very comfortable with using a hammer for many things, especially when it comes to his true love of creating faces in an unconventional way.
“Human faces have always fascinated me,” Berger told Bored Panda. “On safety glass, these motifs come into their own and magically attract visitors. It is a discovery from abstract fogging to figurative perception.”
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The project was commissioned by the National Women’s History Museum and Chief, a networking organization for female executives.
Holly Hotchner, president, and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum was there for the unveiling, spoke to the Associated Press about Harris’ groundbreaking achievement.
“This will just be a wonderful visual emblem of this moment in time, and hopefully people will reflect a little bit on all the barriers that have been broken by her election,” she said.
Hotchner said the occasion was a way to show individuals how crucial inclusiveness is and how vital it is to vote, especially when human rights are on the line.
“Representation matters, especially at the ballot box, and the inauguration of Kamala Harris as the first woman, and first woman of color, to serve as vice president of the United States is a landmark moment in American history,” she said.
The piece was recently shipped to New York on Saturday, where it will have a permanent home.
Now, when young women see it, they can tell themselves that there are endless possibilities.
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