Artist’s Monument to Women Beheaded at University of Houston

It’s unclear whether the attack on Shahzia Sikander’s sculpture is related to protests by anti-abortion groups, which previously denounced it as “satanic.”


Shahzia Sikander's sculpture "Witness" after vandalism on the University of Houston campus (© Shahzia Sikander, photo by Abdurrahman Danquah)

Artist Shahzia Sikander’s monumental sculpture “Witness” (2023) was beheaded in the early hours of Monday morning, July 8, on the grounds of the University of Houston campus.

The 18-foot-tall sculpture depicting a female figure in a hoop skirt and jabot with braided hair shaped into ram horns and vine-like appendages was installed for a temporary exhibition at the university earlier this year. In February, anti-abortion groups denounced the Pakistani-American artist’s work as a “satanic abortion idol” and threatened to protest the display, resulting in the university’s decision to cancel Sikander’s campus lecture for the opening reception.

“Witness” was vandalized as Hurricane Beryl made landfall along the Texas coast, causing power outages and damages across the campus and city, said Shawn Lindsey, associate vice president of Media Relations for the University of Houston.

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