Mermaid. La Spezia, Italy, 2017

Aidyn Zeinalov’s sculpture titled Siren from his Swim & Dream series was part of his solo show held in Florence in 2017. It depicts a female swimmer in a swimsuit, skin-tight cap, and flippers, seated on a chair and looking very thoughtful. The artist said that the figure was inspired by quite an ordinary scene of a young woman changing into swim gear or taking a break after a swim. However, much to his own surprise, he noticed that the swimmer’s crossed legs and the flippers she is wearing, together, resembled a tail, not unlike the one Copenhagen’s iconic Little Mermaid has. And this was how the sculpture got its name – The Mermaid (Siren). That exhibition in Florence was visited by Liguria’s Councilor for Culture, who thought that the piece would look great by the sea. He introduced the sculptor to the mayor of the resort town of La Spezia, and now the Siren adorns the bay known in La Spezia as the Gulf of Poets.