Remember that red and weirdly positioned Marylin Monroe statue that appeared out of nowhere at the Cairo Opera House? Or that soldier inappropriately hugging a woman in Sohag? And, of course, who can forget the Nefertiti or the genetically-altered Oum Kalthoum!
Well, Egypt has done it again and this time it’s all about the king, Mo Salah.
The second edition of the World Youth Forum kicked off last Saturday, aiming to spread a message of peace, prosperity, and hope amongst the younger generation. Yet, the only thing that spread faster than the speed of light was the displayed statue of Egypt’s golden boy and football player, Mohamed Salah.
Long story short, the statue looks nothing like Mo Salah and as it quickly went viral, the sculptor suffered gravely from the negative feedback. According to Egypt Independent, Mai Abdallah considered the idea of carving out the statue back in 2016, which took her one month to complete. With open arms and a huge smile, the outline Mai chose represents the classic Mo Salah post-scoring pose.
However, Egypt’s social media is ruthless when it comes to mistakes, which led Abdallah to release a statement explaining how it all went wrong.
My goal was not to create an exceptional statue, it was only to help others. Many followed my steps and learned how to create something on their own from scratch. The statue was just a demo that I used to explain these steps. I was working in a rush to post daily steps and I was also busy with the exhibition. Many told me it was not smart to share my tips and tricks, yet I only wanted to help others. The second step was trying to finish it for the forum. I reached the white plaster cast phase. They admired it. I usually don’t like anyone to touch my work because details matter. The forum decided that the statue had to be in bronze, I knew it would take time, however, I was surprised a day before delivery that it looked like this. What could I have done? Not deliver? I couldn’t have said I can’t deliver as the forum sponsored the work and they wanted it. If it was my own exhibition, I wouldn’t have displayed it. In the end, this is the result. I am not sad and I do not regret anything because I did everything I could and only God can tell how hard I worked. As long as I did what I could, yet the statue was ruined then it’s God’s will. The negative comments won’t bring me down, I swear. However, I wish everyone can learn the art of criticism, as not everyone can withstand it. I am strong and if I wasn’t strong, Egypt wouldn’t have noticed my graduation project, neither would I complete my next project and surprise you all.
The sculptor shared photos of the pre-bronze stage that in her opinion looked better.
Abdallah even shared a tweet by Mo Salah; that has now been removed, wondering who the sculpture was supposed to be. We are glad the artist is taking it all with humor, we know how hard the internet can be.
