The iconic Copenhagen statue of the Little Mermaid from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale now has a male counterpart: “Han,” a polished stainless steel sculpture featuring a young boy on a stone. The sculpture has been created by Elmgreen & Dragset, the artist duo behind the recent four-meter high bronze sculpture in London’s Trafalgar Square.
“Han” ("Him" in Danish) depicts a young man positioned on a stone by the seaside (just like his famous “sister” in Copenhagen). The new sculpture has been created in contemporary materials: Both the male figure and the stone have been cast in polished stainless steel, mirroring the surroundings in the sculpture’s curved surface and creating a distorted imagery reminiscent of a psychedelic aesthetic. Coolest touch: Courtesy of a hydraulic mechanism, the eyes of the sculpture will close for a split second once every hour before it becomes a traditional static statue once more.
“Han” is located in the harbor of Elsinore, opposite the Castle of Kronborg, famous as the historic setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.