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By Agrippina Fadel

“Superstar,” a vibrant art piece by Hanna Jubran, is gathering a lot of attention in Tamarac, but not for the reasons the artist intended.

Originally a part of Inspiration Way, a temporary art exhibit located on Nob Hill Rd between Commercial Blvd and W McNab Rd, the sculpture was recently moved to the wide median between W McNab and N Pine Island Roads.

The residents and passersby have noticed the new art and its uncanny resemblance to the familiar coronavirus molecule.

The post about the sculpture on the Tamarac Talk Friends and Neighbors Facebook group has quickly amassed dozens of comments, with one resident saying, “someone should put a giant mask on it,” and another quipping, “everything reminds me of her” (coronavirus).

Commentators seemed to have a good sense of humor about the art piece. Some say they love seeing art installations around the city and “appreciate the effort,” even if they don’t like particular sculptures.

The original post’s author, Laura Perez, called “Superstar” a “peculiar sculpture.” “It is definitely in tune with the times we are living,” she said.

The artist Hanna Jubran is a Sculpture Professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Originally from Israel, Jubran participated in multiple international art shows and competitions. His work addresses the concepts of time, movement, balance, and space.

The sculpture is one of the three artworks that Tamarac’s public art committee purchased after the 2021 Inspiration Way open-air exhibition.

With a $60,000 budget, the committee also bought “Unstoppable” by Gus and Lina Ocamposilva, to be installed at the new Waters Edge Park; and a smaller sculpture “Jemma” Blue Heron by Lee Bell that will be placed inside the city hall lobby.

When the city commission approved the art acquisition in October, Beth Ravitz, a public art consultant for Tamarac, said open-air exhibitions like Inspiration Way expose residents to modern art and create a dialog about it within the city. The “Superstar” sculpture is undoubtedly doing so.

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Agrippina Fadel

Agrippina Fadel grew up in Siberia and received her master's in journalism from Tyumen State University. Agrippina is also a writer and editor at Draftsy.net. She has been a US resident for over ten years and speaks English and Russian.