Summary

A Minute of Shelter by Narges Mohammadi is a public sculpture in Rotterdam, unveiled on Orange the World Day 2025. The thin brick wall represents a bathroom – often the only lockable, temporary refuge when danger threatens. The work reflects on domestic violence and femicide through life-size relief elements and a stainless steel bag symbolising urgency and escape. It was created in collaboration with survivors and it carries their voices and experiences, inviting both quiet reflection and a deeper awareness of a reality that is often invisible, yet constantly present.

Where shouting is too late,

fighting too soon,

where you thought you were at home.

Where

The rattling door handle takes its second beating

The door threatens to collapse under the force of danger,

bears the weight of complete isolation

or yet gives the courage for liberation

The mirror that confronts,

and reveals the bruises as invisible as lemon

ink

The bricks are coloured red,

the colour of love and of blood

The bag is made of the material of cutting knives,

flying forks and spoons

that strike

You run into the suffocating wall, there is no help, not for you, not now

People walk past you

Where you are not supposed to have to seek safety.

Info

A Minute of Shelter by Narges Mohammadi is a public sculpture in Rotterdam that takes the form of a narrow, freestanding brick wall – just one brick wide – situated right in the heart of the urban landscape. At first glance, you almost stumble upon the work by accident: it stands in a narrow alley off Coolsingel, a passageway where people walk past without a second thought, but where they may also inevitably bump into the wall.

The work was unveiled on 25 November 2025 during Orange the World Day and serves as a memorial to victims and survivors of femicide and domestic violence. It was created in response to the murder of 16-year-old Hümeyra in Rotterdam, but also addresses a broader, ongoing reality: violence against women remains persistent, often hidden and structurally entrenched, even in places considered safe.

The sculpture draws on the spatial language of the home. It depicts a bathroom in relief – often the only room that can be locked, the only place where a fleeting sense of safety exists. On one side, forms protrude; on the other, they recede inwards. This interplay of positive and negative space symbolises the vulnerability of someone in an unsafe home situation. Because the elements are life-size, the viewer can imagine entering this space.

A stainless steel handbag rests at the foot of the wall. The bag catches the light, breaking through the matt surface of the brick and suggesting urgency. The bag suggests a state of readiness: the need to leave, survival reduced to what can be taken along. The red bricks themselves carry a dual symbolism – of care and of violence, of love and of blood – thereby embedding contradiction within the material.

There are several ways to approach the work. To some, it initially appears to be a formal composition: a precise construction of surface, depth and contrast of materials. For others, it may evoke memories that are difficult to articulate or that remain unspoken: the threat of the rattling door handle, the weight of the closed door, the confrontation with one’s own reflection. The work illustrates these experiences indirectly; above all, it creates a space in which they are allowed to surface.

The collaboration with survivors of gender-based violence living in Rotterdam is central to the creation of A Minute of Shelter. Participants submitted words in response to a call for contributions circulated via support organisations: messages of hope, fragments from their own experiences, names. Their contributions have been incorporated into the work and are updated annually, ensuring the sculpture remains a living monument. Participation was approached with care: contributors retained full control, so that their involvement would not jeopardise their safety. In this way, the work gives voice to those who often go unheard, and makes this visible.

A Minute of Shelter serves both as a physical pause and as a collective memory. It marks a moment that is easily overlooked: not the headline, not the most extreme event, but the quiet, prolonged experience of unsafety. It calls for attention without spectacle.

Thanks to

This artwork carries the voices of many – those brave enough to take part, who still have room in their hearts to think of others, to care for people they have never met. I stand here with immense gratitude and pride that this artwork embodies the words of survivors, heroines, warriors and carers: Nadine, Nasrien, Jennifer, Kiltje-Vera, Shanty, Meryam. Thank you for your trust, openness and determination to keep fighting for yourselves and for others.

I would like to thank Hümeyra’s family and loved ones; it is thanks to your dedication and strength that this memorial has been made possible. She will never be forgotten.

Thanks to the Municipality of Rotterdam, Alderman Ronald Buijt and the CBK for making this artwork possible. Thanks to Maartje for your level-headedness and perseverance; the ease with which you cleared major obstacles is impressive. Thanks to Meesters In, and specifically Essylt, Jürgen, Melissa and Machiel, for the incredible execution of the artwork. Thanks to Van der Vegt for bringing the stainless steel bag to life. Thanks to the construction firm W. Le Comte for restoring the paving. Thanks to Filomena, Ervaring in Huis, Veilig Thuis, Arosa and Fier for spreading the call for contributions to the artwork.

I dedicate this artwork to all the women, organisations and struggles that are committed to combating violence against women. This monument is intended to make your voices heard and your presence felt, so that you may remain resilient in this ongoing struggle for safety. Thank you to all the women who came before me. Thank you to all the survivors.