Wednesday 14 January 2009

Entropa

Poland
Poland is represented by a group of Catholic monks erecting the rainbow flag of the gay community.

Netherlands
The Netherlands is seen as series of minarets submerged by a flood - a possible reference to the nation's simmering religious tensions.

Italy
Italy is seen as a massive football pitch, suggesting a nation with a fetish for football.

*More pictures... (source - BBC)

BBC reports: A new art installation going on display at the European Council building in Brussels has angered EU members with its lampoons of national stereotypes.

Entropa portrays Bulgaria as a toilet, Romania as a Dracula theme-park and France as a country on strike.

The Czech Republic, which holds the EU presidency, thought it had commissioned work from 27 European artists.

But it turned out to have been entirely completed by Czech artist David Cerny and two associates. [...]

Mr Cerny, who presented Entropa to his government with a brochure describing each of the artwork's 27 supposed contributors from each member state, has apologised for misleading ministers, but not for the installation itself.

"We knew the truth would come out," said Mr Cerny. "But before that we wanted to find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself."

He added that Entropa "lampoons the socially activist art that balances on the verge between would-be controversial attacks on national character and undisturbing decoration of an official space".

Mr Cerny first created a splash in the early 1990s when he painted a Soviet tank, a Second World War memorial in a Prague square, bright pink.


*source of picture: Radio Prague

5 comments:

Ani said...

"Bulgaria" is my favorite--ah, the memories it brings back of my visit there... ;)

artmika said...

Ani, see what happened to your favourite "Bulgaria":

'Bulgaria toilet' art covered up

Part of a work of art that depicts Bulgaria as a toilet has been covered up, following the country's protest. [...]

Ani said...

Multiple choice ripostes:
A) Too many people lined up to use it?
B) More privacy than in Bulgaria!
C) Lets your imagination roam--a better exhibit that way!
D) Leftover burkha material from the Ottoman Empire?

artmika said...

:) I think I'll probably go for "C". (not that the rest is not valid!)

But the winner is... Czech artist David Cerny! :)

Anonymous said...

Here you can sign a petition against censoring Entropa:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/entropa/