The spelling mistake in the Shakira statue that attracted attention on the networks: what the sculptor said

Shakira was recognized in Barranquilla, her hometown, with an impressive statue created by a sculptor Yino Marquez. It measures 6.5 meters tall and was made of bronze and aluminium. Below, a text highlights its virtues.

So far it’s all very good. However, shortly after announcing the final result, X users did not miss the opportunity a spelling mistake in the message on the plate.

“Prepared by the artist Yino Márques…”, we read in the last paragraph of the message. The error lies in the writing of the sculptor’s surname: It’s not “Márques”, but “Márquez”. In the signature, next to Jaime Pumarejo Jeins, mayor of Barranquilla, it seems well written.

The text preceding the signatures reads: “On January 2, 1977, Barranquilla was born into the world: A heart that composes, hips that do not lie, an unparalleled talent, a voice that moves masses and bare feet that march in the good of childhood and of ‘humanity”.

And he continues: “Sculpture of Shakira cast in bronze, 6.50 meters high, performing her iconic belly dance. The end of the aluminum skirt symbolizes the waves of the sea and the river. Her raised arms and vertically clasped hands represent the scope of transcendence. Created by the artist Yino Márques in the neighborhood of La Paz with the support of students and graduates of the District School of Arts.”

The day after

As expected, there were all sorts of tweets on the topic on X.

“That the Shakira statue was left with a spelling mistake. Good thing these things make me laugh”, “The mistake is putting a Shakira statue! With so many needs of God” and “I guess those who ” They realized that the spelling mistake was not from Barranquilla” are some of the sentences that appeared on that social network.

The sculptor later claimed that he discovered the mistake before the inauguration and confirmed the error will be corrected.

“I saw it the day before and the mayor himself told me not to worry, that it will be corrected without any problems and yes, I see that there is no problem. It will just be corrected, nothing happens,” he said. the artist in dialogue with Blu Radio.

Prophet in his land

Her arms clasped high, her belly exposed and her torso tilted to the side anticipate Shakira’s emblematic hip swing, immortalized Tuesday in a 6.5-meter-tall statue in her hometown of Barranquilla.

Made of bronze with some fragments of aluminium, the monument represents the pop star performing one of her characteristic dance moves, wearing a brown bra and a long skirt of the same colour.

“Hips that don’t lie, an unparalleled talent, a voice that moves the masses”, reads the inscription at the base of the sculpture, presented at a public event in the presence of the singer’s parents, William Mebarak -of Lebanese origin- e Nidia Ripoll.

The local government had published images of the statue and its making process since August, but its face had not been revealed until today. The monument was located on the waterfront near the Magdalena River.

“Thanks to the sculptor Yino Márquez and the students of the district school of arts for this example of the enormous artistic talent of the people of my land,” he wrote on the social network X (formerly Twitter). Shakira46 years old and winner of the Latin Grammy for song of the year, in 2023, for “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.”

The song – a sort of catharsis about her separation from former footballer Gerard Piqué, created together with Argentine producer Bizarrap – immediately became a worldwide hit and brought her career back to the forefront.

The statue “represents her really very well, with all her details, down to the way she dances,” he told AFP. Daniele Paulmannan American tourist present at the inauguration.

Shakira has also made headlines in recent months due to her tax turmoil. The singer reached a deal with Spanish authorities in November in which she pleaded guilty to tax fraud and accepted a fine of more than 7.3 million euros (about $8 million).

This year the Colombian has paid almost 14 million euros in fines for two cases of tax evasion.

Main source: AFP