Fact check: Nude statue was unveiled in the Netherlands in 2017, not 'recently' in England
The claim: Statue called 'Woman of our times,' was recently unveiled in Oxford
An April 12 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) displays a statue with a mix of sex characteristics, including breasts and male genitalia.
"This statue was recently unveiled in Oxford," reads the post's text. "The name: 'Woman of our times.' Mankind is doomed!"
It was shared over 1,000 times in two days.
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Our rating: False
The title of the statue is "And Life is Over There." It was unveiled in 2017 in The Hague, a city in the Netherlands, not recently in Oxford, England.
Statue is located in the Netherlands
The statue in the post is real, but is not called "Woman of our times" or located in Oxford.
It was created by Femmy Otten and is called "And Life is Over There," according to an article by Stroom Den Haag, an independent Dutch art foundation.
"Ever since I started drawing and making my work, genders have effortlessly merged into each other," Otten said in an interview with Stroom Den Haag about the statue, according to the English subtitles. "For me, this feels very natural; I can identify with the one or with the other. To me, it feels strange to view men and women as separate entities."
On Oct. 21, 2017, the statue was unveiled at a sculpture gallery in the center of The Hague.
There is no evidence it has been moved to Oxford, Myriam Dijck, a spokesperson for The Hague, told Paste BN in an email.
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Paste BN reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.
Reuters also debunked this claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Myriam Dijck, April 14-17, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Femmy Otten (website), accessed April 14, Work
- Stroom Den Haag, accessed April 14, Unveiling new sculpture Femmy Otten in The Sculpture Gallery
- Stroom Den Haag (Vimeo), Oct. 11, 2017, Femmy Otten: ‘And Life Is Over There’
- Buitenkunst Den Haag, April 17, And Life Is Over There
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