Statue of Liberty Replica Isn't Made from Rubble of Syrian Artist’s Home
The Claim
This image shows a replica of the Statue of Liberty that a Syrian artist built using rubble from the remains of his home.
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Emerging story
An image of the Statue of Liberty made out of rubble went viral. It was shared with the claim that a Syrian artist built it using the remains of his home.
Misbar’s Analysis
MENA: Misbar found that the image of the Statue of Liberty was created by a Syrian artist, but not using the rubble of his own home. The caption often attached to the image, “This is the freedom that they (the US) brought us,” is not representative of the artist’s original intentions as well.
The piece is the work of artist Tammam Azzam. He posted it to his Facebook page back in 2012 with the caption “Statue of Liberty (Photomontage).” The image was created electronically using images of bombed-out buildings in Syria to create a photomontage.
In an interview with Al Arabiya.net, Azzam states that the artwork is not meant to be political. He told the site “The Statue of Liberty in New York does not represent US politics and I used it only as the symbol of freedom.” He went on to say the image was meant to carry an optimistic message despite the destruction in his country. He said that those who share the image with a political message are doing so in a way that he had not intended.
