COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 15, 2006 Denmark's Prince Henrik today is to unveil a sculpture of a little mermaid that its creator described as a genetically modified sister to Copenhagen's most famous landmark.

The new bronze by Bjoern Noergaard stands some 400 meters from the original Little Mermaid statue and is part of a sculpture group dubbed "The Paradise Genetically Altered."

Like the original, Noergaard's mermaid sits on a rock, but her features are twisted and her limbs exaggeratedly long and skeletal.

First presented at the Expo 2000 exhibition in Hannover, Germany, the Genetically Altered Mermaid is one of six sculptures circling a sandstone arch with a 4.7-meter Madonna statue on top. The other sculptures are The Pregnant Man, Christ and Maria Magdalena and Adam and Eve.

The artwork was described in a news release as "a provocative and humorous look at postmodern society."

The original Little Mermaid was created by Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen in tribute to Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. It has been sitting on a rock at the entrance of the Copenhagen harbor since 1913 and is drawing an estimated 1 million visitors a year.

Noergaard, a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, is best known for his 1970 exhibition that caused a stir in Denmark. He had a horse slaughtered, pickled parts of it and put them in 112 glass jars before they were exhibited.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press

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