In England, hundreds of citizens joined forces to clean off a sculpture of a Black woman. A vandal targeted the piece in mid-May.

The ten-foot-tall bronze statue called “Seated,” was originally installed by American artist Tschabalala Self in 2022. It was temporarily placed outside the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea on England’s south coast. According to a statement from the pavilion, “the perpetrator covered the entirety of the woman’s skin with white spray paint.” Community leaders invited volunteers o help clean off the paint as an act of peaceful resilience. No one expected the number of people who turned out.

Saving The Sculpture

About 300 people attended to clean the sculpture, according to a spokesperson from the pavilion.

“We had to extend the event to make sure everyone who had been queuing could participate due to the high turnout,” they said.

The statue was also professionally restored. It will officially re-open on June 3rd.

Self took to Instagram to post the turn out. In her caption she shared her views on the vandalism.

“I am very disheartened that my sculpture ‘Seated’ was targeted and attacked by vandals. Despite my disappointment I am not surprised as Black, female — and especially Black female bodies — are often targets for abuse,” she explained. “‘Seated’ proudly represents the beauty of both blackness and femininity, and for these very reasons she has been harmed: covered by her assailant with white spray paint in a futile attempt to erase her color and, in my mind, her strength.”

She added that she hopes the violence shown toward the sculpture further illuminates the persistent issues plaguing the global West.

“Painting the skin of my sculpture white is an obscene act and I feel horribly for individuals in Bexhill-on-Sea for whom this event may have shocked or frightened,” the artist said.