The artwork, titled “Statues Also Breathe” and conceived by French artist Prune Nourry, consists of 108 life-size clay heads, made by 108 students from all over Nigeria, and is now on display at an art gallery in Lagos.
The mass kidnapping initially prompted worldwide outrage, with the slogan #BringBackOurGirls trending on social media and prominent figures including then US first lady Michelle Obama pressing for their return. Nourry collected photos of the missing girls from their families and passed the images on to the students who created the sculptures at a one-day outdoor workshop on the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife, southwest Nigeria.
The young artists took inspiration from photos of Ife heads- terracotta sculptures made in the region centuries ago and considered to be among Nigeria’s most significant cultural artifacts.