The Virgins of Apeldoorn is a public installation in the Netherlands by Dutch artist Elisabet Stienstra. The sculptural work features three bronze statues of girls in varying positions, all seeming to lie parallel to the ground. Their hair and the cloth of their dress hangs below them as though they are sleeping on an invisible bed in midair. The intriguing figurative pieces are each presented in an almost cyclical composition. One cannot tell if these are three separate girls or perhaps the same one at different periods of time, tossing and turning in bed.
There are several interpretations of the fascinating piece. One could look at the trio of youthful female figures as a frozen emblem of innocence, while others can dispute its exploitation. After all, the draping skirt exposes each of the girls, giving audiences the uncomfortable opportunity to look underneath. Whether the young woman is lying on her back, face down, or on her right side, she is met with an uncompromising position, dependent on the spectator's view angle. The mystifying installation leaves viewers with many questions.
