Melania Trump statue in her home town slammed by locals who rage ‘it looks nothing like her’
A GHOULISH wooden statue supposed to depict Melania Trump was erected in her home country of Slovenia on Friday - to the outrage of locals.
The whittled figure is meant to show the First Lady wearing the blue outfit she wore to her husband Donald's inauguration as US president in 2017.
It has been erected on a wooden plinth and stands life-size near Melania's hometown of Sevnica.
US artist Brade Downey commissioned the strange statue - created with a chainsaw by local folk artist Ales "Maxi" Zupevc.
But it hasn't been well received by residents in the Central European country.
One local said: "It doesn’t look anything like Melania - It’s a smurfette. It’s a disgrace.”
Another local fumed: “It’s not okay. It’s a disgrace. That’s what I have to say.”
'SMURFETTE'
The blocky, rustic figure was cut from the trunk of a living linden tree - whose base forms the tall plinth.
It's placed in a field beside the Sava River in the village of Rozno - five miles from Sevnica.
A gallery in the capital Ljubljana which is hosting an exhibition detailing the First Lady's roots in Slovenia is uncertain how seriously to take the statue.
In a leaflet, it said: "Perhaps we are simply trying vigorously to make sense of things that might only be a slapstick prank - Who knows?"
Downey said he wanted to "have a dialogue with my country's political situation" and highlight Melania Trump's status as an immigrant married to a president sworn to reduce immigration.
Ales "Maxi" Zupevc, the sculptor, was born in the same hospital as Melania Trump in the same month - and now mostly works as a pipe-layer.
In a short film as part of the exhibition, he says: "Let's face it - she owns half of America while I have nothing."
A bust of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo was mocked worldwide after briefly being erected at Madeira Airport.
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