This is a time of great uncertainty for the art scene in Copenhagen. Top – The Big Mermaid, a 14-ton sculpture by Creeping Peter Bech, has been criticized for coming across as tacky and disconnected from Danish culture. In 2006, they put up this bigger-than-life mermaid on Langelinie Pier. It was designed as a direct response to travelers’ gripes that Copenhagen’s iconic Little Mermaid statue was too diminutive. Ever since its installation, The Big Mermaid (Den Store Havfrue) has sparked heated debates. Defenders and critics alike are passionate about the way it addresses body positivity in public art.
The sculpture is large even by public art standards, around 4×6 meters, with exaggerated proportions compared to its smaller counterpart. Critics have been quick to express their dismay, with some local residents even calling it “the fake and vulgar mermaid.” Mathias Kryger, art critic for the newspaper Politiken, even went as far as to call the statue “ugly and pornographic.” This sentiment reflects a broader discontent regarding the sculpture’s aesthetics and its place among Denmark’s cultural landmarks.
In March 2023, the Danish Agency for Palaces and Culture issued an official request. They’re calling for the removal of The Little Mermaid statue from Dragør Fort, where it had been moved in 2018. The agency contends that the statue is incompatible with the cultural significance of the historic 1910 landmark. To further muddy these waters, Dragør kommune has refused to accept a donation of the sculpture as a gift by its creator, Peter Bech.
That’s why the public discourse around The Big Mermaid has been so fiery. Aminata Corr Thrane, the debate editor at Berlingske, has been a fierce advocate against body shaming. She critiques this pervasive critique of the mermaid’s body, emphasizing its damaging impact. She questions societal standards regarding female representation in art, asking, “Do naked female breasts have to have a specific academic shape and size to be allowed to appear in public?”
Third, Thrane pointed out a really fascinating contrast. He explained that in spite of The Big Mermaid having bigger breasts, she is “arguably more modestly covered up” than the Little Mermaid. She suggested that both statues might symbolize contrasting views on femininity and societal expectations: “Perhaps the two statues – the Big and the Little Mermaid – represent two sides of woman, and the eternal tug of war about what a real woman is. And maybe, just maybe, what a bad bitch really is.
Movements to advance the regulation Critics such as Sorine Gotfredsen are speaking up in the debate. Through their work, they suggest that depictions of women in the arts reinforce impossible standards of perfection. Gotfredsen stated, “Erecting a statue of a man’s hot dream of what a woman should look like is unlikely to promote many women’s acceptance of their own bodies.” She further expressed relief at the backlash against The Big Mermaid, stating, “It’s truly uplifting that many find the statue vulgar, unpoetic, and undesirable, because we’re suffocating in overbearing bodies in public space.”
Public reactions are still a bit mixed, with some people responding negatively when they see the statue because it makes them uncomfortable. Helle Barth remarked on its physicality, saying, “it’s just hard to fit in. It takes up a lot of space.”