STA, 1 July 2019 - A life-size, wooden sculpture of US First Lady Melania Trump has been erected near her hometown Sevnica in south-east Slovenia. The intriguing sculpture will be presented on Friday as part of the Ta Eho exhibition by US artist Brad Downey, who aims to explore the extent of Melania Trump's roots and the reaction of the locals.
The exhibition will open in the Ljubljana Vžigalica gallery on Thursday, while the sculpture, portraying the Slovenian-born first lady and bearing her name, will be showcased near the area where she grew up.
According to the gallery, the artist based the exhibition on the myth of Echo and Narcissus as a way to address and reflect on the issues he raised when he first visited Slovenia - where do the roots of the current US first lady lead to as well as the opinions of the locals or Slovenians in general on the issue.
The mountain nymph Echo was punished for trying to cover up Zeus's infidelity. His wife Hera condemned her to the life of being able to utter only echoes, to speak merely the last words spoken to her. When the nymph met self-centred Narcissus, she was thus unable to inform him of his love.
Taking into account the lack of a specific local or public response and restrictions related to the first lady status, the Kentucky-based artist ordered and funded the wooden sculpture, which was created by a local craftsman and sculptor using a chain saw.
The sculpture "portrays the first lady, who is greeting her hometown Sevnica" in her inaugural gown and is considered the first public sculpture of the first lady, said the gallery.
Apart from focusing on the story of the sculpture's creation process, the exhibition will also display a copy of former US president Ronald Reagan's press briefing room.
Sevnica, a town of some 5,000 inhabitants in the Posavje region, has capitalised on Melania Trump's rise to fame by coming up with its own First Lady brand, including local wine, pastry, chocolate, tea as well as pottery and cosmetic products. Visitors can also indulge in the Melania cake or pie.
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