Recently, a stunning portrait of US Vice President Kamala Harris has been made in her honour. It is the work of Swiss artist Simon Berger, who strategically hammered cracks into a giant sheet of glass.
The artwork is a reference to the metaphorical glass ceiling that Harris broke. On 20th January 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first black woman and first woman of South Asian heritage to hold the United State’s second-highest office.
The portrait is a 6-by-6 foot artwork. Berger is famous for mastering the art of carving a face by shattering glass.
The artist is said to have crafted the piece in a day. The entire process has been documented and turned into a beautiful short film. It has been set to Harris’s speech after her victory, paying homage to all the other women who have broken barriers.
Berger’s installation is based on a photograph of Harris clicked by Celeste Sloman. The installation captures her facial features accurately from the portrait, with delicate spider-web like glass cracks standing in contrast to a black background.
The project was sponsored by the National Women’s History Museum, in collaboration with the creative agency BBH New York and the private-network Chief.
The museum is the United States’ leading women’s history museum which is dedicated towards celebrating and uncovering women’s diverse contributions to the society.
“Representation matters, especially at the ballot box and the inauguration of Kamala Harris as the first woman and first woman of colour, to serve as Vice President of the United States is a landmark moment in American History,” Holly Hotchner, President of the NWHM, said in a statement.
The portrait will be on display at the Lincoln Memorial till 13th February, after which it will be transferred to the Chief flagship office in New York. The future plans for the public display of the portrait are yet to be worked out.
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