'Shakira told me that I captured her essence very well': sculptor of her statue in Barranquilla

The Colombian coastal city of Barranquilla recently unveiled a six-meter-tall tribute to one of the country's most famous cultural exports: Shakira.

“A heart that composes, hips that do not lie, an unmatched talent, a voice that moves masses and bare feet that march for the good of children and humanity,” reads the plaque at the foot of the statue.

“I feel honored and moved by this incredible recognition in my Barranquilla, the city where I was born.”Shakira said in a statement. “Each Barranquilla man and woman are my brothers and sisters and the inspiration of my life since my childhood.”

Yino Márquez, 52, the statue's sculptor, said he was delighted by the way the sculpture had been received by the public and by Shakira and her family.

“Shakira herself called me and told me that I captured her essence very well,” he said.

Jaime Pumarejo, Mayor of Barranquilla, said that about a year ago he began thinking about ways to honor important figures in Barranquilla as a way to increase tourism and serve as role models for young people. City officials decided on a statue representing the coat of arms of Barranquilla and one of Shakira, who, the Mayor stated, agreed with the idea. Together, the two statues cost about 700 million Colombian pesos, or $180,000, he said.

Shakira, 46, who now lives primarily in Miami, was born in Barranquilla, a city of 1.2 million people and long home to many Colombian-Lebanese families like hers. He returns to visit several times a year, has funded several schools, and founded a foundation that works to improve early childhood education in Colombia.

The statue, which took five months to complete, shows Shakira wearing a brown bodysuit and performing her famous belly dance. Márquez first modeled it in clay, then made a silicone and fiberglass mold, and finally cast it in bronze.

The edge of her skirt, made of aluminum, symbolizes the waves of the Caribbean Sea and the Magdalena River, Márquez explained. He added that his raised arms will eventually hold a light that will turn on at night. Márquez said that Shakira was very involved in the process and she traveled to Barranquilla to meet with him so that she could make the sculpture as accurate as possible.

“I found a person who was more affable and kind than I had imagined and with a great laugh and smile,” he said.

María Paula Giraldo, a 54-year-old ceramist from Bogotá, the capital, said the statue “makes us feel very proud to be Colombians. She also represents an icon, a woman who has done so much for Colombia. I grew up with her music.”

GENEVIEVE GLATSKY. THE NEW YORK TIMES