Arms folded above her head, stomach exposed and torso hanging to the side, Shakira's famous hip movement was immortalized this Tuesday in a 6.5meterhigh statue in her hometown, Colombia, Barranquilla. Made of bronze with some aluminum fragments, the monument depicts the pop star performing one of his signature dance moves while wearing a brown top and long skirt of the same color.
“Hips that don't lie, an unparalleled talent, a voice that moves masses,” reads the inscription on the base of the sculpture, which was presented at a public event attended by the singer's parents, William Mebarak and Nidia Ripoll, took part.
The local government had released images of the statue and its creation process since August, but the face had not been revealed until now. The monument was placed on the promenade near the Magdalena River. “I thank the sculptor Yino Márquez and the students of the District Art School for this demonstration of the enormous artistic talent of the people of my country,” wrote Shakira, 46 years old and winner of, on the social network X (the former Twitter). the Latin Grammy for Song of the Year 2023 with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”.
The theme, created together with Argentinian producer Bizarrap a kind of catharsis about his separation from former Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué became a huge global success and gave his career new impetus. The statue “really represents her very well, with all the details, even the way she dances,” said Daniel Paulman, an American tourist who attended the dedication.
In recent months, Shakira has also been in the headlines because of tax problems. In November, the artist reached an agreement with Spanish authorities in which she pleaded guilty to tax fraud and agreed to pay a fine of more than 7.3 million euros (almost R$40 million at current prices).
This year, the Colombian paid almost 14 million euros (nearly R$75 million) in penalties for two cases of tax evasion.