Artwork inspired by Bush shoe attack

ART HISTORY - A sculpture of an enormous bronze-coloured shoe has been erected in Iraq to honour the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush.

The sofa-sized artwork was formally unveiled in Tikrit, hometown of dead Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.

Artist Laith al-Amari insisted it was not a political work, but a "source of pride for all Iraqis".

George W. Bush, who launched an illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, managed to dodge the shoes. The young journalist who threw the shoes, Muntadar al-Zaidi, was arrested and still awaits trial. As he pulled off his shoes, al-Zaidi, now 30, shouted: "This is from the widows, the orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq." and "This is a farewell kiss, you dog!"

About 400 Iraqis gathered on Thursday to see the monument unveiled - a shoe on a white pedestal, about 3m (10ft) high, with a poem praising the journalist al-Zaidi at its base and a bush growing out of the shoe.

The sculpture stands in the gardens of an Iraqi foundation that looks after children whose parents died in the violence following the US-led invasion.

Following his arrest, al-Zaidi was beaten nearly to death while in custody, suffering a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding.

He has been charged with aggression against a foreign head of state, and faces up to 15 years in jail if convicted. Many Iraqis deny he has done anything wrong since throwing shoes is a traditional Arab insult. Iraqi politicians can't agree what to do about the shoe thrower.

See Also:
The Shoe Thrown Around the World
Iraqi Artists