“Let us in”
Skolebakken 5
This painting is inspired by Global Goal #5 ‘Gender Equality’
The painting is made by Hera, Germany
“Let us in”
To explain the symbolism of my artwork, I would like to take you into the world of Denmark's most influential children's book author, H.C. Andersen. I turned to his stories for inspiration, as Andersen in his time took his criticism of society, especially the abuse and exploitation of the marginalised and social outcasts, into the realm of fairy tales.
My favorite protagonist was his saddest character: "The Little Girl with the Matchsticks," who unsuccessfully tried to sell matchboxes and ended up lighting one match after another herself, escaping into blissful delusions as she slowly froze to death. I took the girl from Andersen's story, but let her use her abilities and time in a different way: Practicing her engineering skills to build a self-supporting bridge. In my version, she is not alone, but in the company of other outcasts – "The Ugly Duckling" and "Thumbelina" – who boost their self-esteem by turning the matches into a crown and a pair of wings.
My suggestion for changing social structures, like opening heavy doors or smashing the famous glass ceiling, is as follows: We all need to share our resources, minds and skills, and understand that we all need different things to feel valued, to be enough as we are, and maybe one day we can all feel equally respected! Reinventing society is a group effort!
Hera (Jasmin Siddiqui) is a Frankfurt-born German-Pakistani painter with artistic roots in the graffiti and street art genre. She is highly recognised for her urban contemporary art, in which she uses a variety of different mediums to create her truly emotive artworks.
Coming from a half-Pakistani, half-German background, Hera had been brought up half-Muslim and half-Catholic. She knew a lot about ethical differences and complications even before she started school, though she didn’t entirely know how to deal with those perspectives until she found graffiti.
A graduate in Graphic Design, Hera’s works tend to combine traditional techniques and spray painting to portray mythological creatures and darkly comedic and satirical scenes. These images often point towards the notions of present issues with regards to political injustice and social awareness.
Hera has been travelling the world since 2001, painting large-scale murals, solo or as part of the duo Herakut. Her biggest outdoor pieces are in São Paulo, Miami, Moscow, Reykjavik, Melbourne, Berlin, Kampala and Washington DC. Besides her mural work, Hera’s artwork has been displayed in museum exhibitions including the Rogaland Kunstmuseum in Stavanger, Norway, in 2007, the Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, 2015, the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin in 2018, the STRAAT Museum in Amsterdam in 2022, and MACA Museum in Copenhagen in 2024.
Hera was part of “Artists for Human Rights“, the first ever street art exhibition inside the European Parliament in Brussels in December 2022. In 2023 she worked on several United Nations funded projects with the NGO “Streetart for Mankind“ promoting social change. This is in line with Hera’s continuous efforts to utilise street art for humanitarian causes. In the past she has collaborated with various humanitarian aid organisations, such as UNICEF and The Global Fund, Save the Children and Viva Con Agua, with art programs and workshops focusing on children and underprivileged youth.
This mural has been supported by:
Kronprins Frederiks og Kronprinsesse Marys Fond, Knud Højgaards Fond, Stibo-Fonden, Spar Nord Fonden, Per og Lise Aarsleffs Fond, Axel Muusfeldts Fond, Reisby Fonden, C.A.C. Fonden, Vilhelm Kiers Fond, Hotel Atlantic, Sparekassen Kronjylland, Loxam, Flügger, Aarhus Kommune - Kultur og Borgerservice.