Maldives court orders destruction of Jason deCaires Taylor's Coralarium for violating Islamic law

A Maldivian court has ordered the destruction of Coralarium, a semi-submerged steel sculpture by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, citing that its human figures violate Islamic parameters. The work was installed in July 2018 at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi resort, owned by French hotel group Accor. It featured around thirty human figures, mostly Maldivians engaged in fishing and other island activities, intended as an homage to the people's symbiosis with nature and as a habitat for marine life. Despite prior permits and protests from the artist, religious leaders condemned the piece as excessively Western. The court's ruling was executed immediately, and the structure, which took nine months to build with a team of engineers, divers, and environmentalists, was demolished with sledgehammers in about a week.