While I was in Berlin last weekend I had the chance to see an exhibition that was aiming at showing tolerance: the United Bears of Berlin.
Most of the world's countries had chosen an artist to design a ca. 2 m high bear in a fashion or a way that resembles the country.
All the participating bears can be found on this website.
I would have expected something a little more rustic, a lot of red and white, with trees, and in some spots a lot of different colours representing the rich cultural mix that makes up our chilly little country. I don't quite understand what they were trying to show...
there is always a kind of explanation on the website of what the artist had in mind.
I remember the Canadian one because of its strange texture, thus I also read the explanation of the artist.
The bear is covered with pieces of china. The china is an hommage to the "canadian mother". The role of the mother is very important to the artist and often very understimated when it comes to taking a look at a country ("It's a man's world"). This bear should be different and put the focus on the importance of the mother.
This is a quotation from the project's website. You can always click on the big button "United Buddy Bears" and get a selection to all the participating countries. If you select a country-option you get detailed views and further explanations and an interpretation about the selected bear.
The design of Canada's United Buddy Bear is a homage to Canada's mothers. Canada's indigenous cultures revere the bear as a symbol of the mother, she emboies strength and protection. Our bear is covered with a mosaic of broken china pieces, donated by Canadian mothers themselves, reflecting a cross section of our cultural diversity. The mothers of Canada have contributed immensely to the building of our large nation. The self-sacrifice and untiring dedication our mothers have given to the raising of their children, sometimes in the harshest of conditions, often goes overlooked. They deserve more recognition. The labour I have gladly invested in this bear is a mere shadow of the monumental task our mothers have undertaken in sculpting the people who have shaped our nation.
I have always regarded fine china as an appropriate symbol of the mother. Many mothers have donated these intimate little possessions for the "UBB" from Canada, keepsakes, passed on to them by their own mothers. The United Buddy Bear project is about tolerance, peace and brotherly love. This is why we ought to recall what we were taught by our mothers.
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