Caryatid Unburdened

For centuries the caryatid has stood as a column, carrying the weight of a building on her head. Here she is finally free of it. She stretches her arms overhead, though her hands are still cupped as if holding the load, the body not yet believing the burden is gone. It is a quiet moment of freedom, independence and autonomy, both literal and figurative. The rough-carved hair marks where the weight once rested, and the natural grey bands of the stone cross her body like the memory of the column she used to be.