Entropa: Fake artists and offense… Brilliant!

The new EU sponsored Sculpture; Entropa: Stereotypes are Barriers to be demolished, looks somewhat amusingly to be undergoing demolition even as it opens. And it doesn’t even officially open until tomorrow!!! Modern art that actually causes offense, and even before its open… this has got to be a good thing. 

Entropa Overview

The sculpture has come under attack on two fronts, initially because the work of art was supposed to be the work of 27 artists from across Europe, and the booklet produced with the work of art lists Černý’s collaborators’ names as Tomáš Pospiszyl and Krištof Kintera. The authors maintained that a larger international team of people was involved in the project’s actual execution. Of course… this turned out to be a ‘ruse’ and the work was really produced by one artist David_Černý. Who stated in response: “We knew the truth would come out”… “But before that we wanted to find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself.” (see: BBC Report) The second attack came from Bulgaria, who officially launched a complaint against what they perceive as an insult to their country.News.bg

The Following Nations are depicted in the Sculpture:

• Austria: a known opponent of atomic energy, is presented with several nuclear power plants
• Belgium: is presented as a box of pralines.
• Bulgaria: is depicted by a series of connected “Turkish” squat toilets. (This section has been removed after an official request from bulgaria).
• Cyprus: is jigsawed in half. The Czech Republic: is an LED display flashing controversial quotes by Czech President Václav Klaus.
• Denmark: Has an image reminiscent of the infamous Muhammed cartoon depicted in lego.
• Estonia is shown as a hammer and sickle (a symbol banned there). Finland: is depicted as a wooden floor with animals.
• France is draped in a banner reading “GRÈVE!” (strike).
• Germany is shown as a series of interlocking autobahns, that resemble a swastika.
• Greece is shown as an entirely burned forest.
• Hungary features an Atomium made of its common agricultural products melons and Hungarian sausages, based on a floor of peppers
• Ireland is depicted as a brown bog with bagpipes protruding from Northern Ireland
• Italy is depicted as a football pitch.
• Latvia is shown as covered with mountains, in contrast to its actual flat landscape.
• Lithuanian soldiers are depicted urinating on Russia
• Luxembourg is displayed as a gold nugget with “For Sale” tag
• Malta is a tiny island with its prehistoric dwarf elphant as its only decoration
• Netherlands has disappeared under the sea with only a several minarets still visible
• Poland, known for its staunch Catholic traditionalism has a piece with priests erecting the rainbow flag of the “LGBT social movements”
• Portugal is shown as a wooden cutting board with three pieces of meat in the shape of its former colonies, Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique.
• Romania is a Dracula-style theme park
• Slovakia is depicted as a Hungarian sausage
• Slovenia is shown as a rock engraved with the words first tourists came here 1213
• Spain is covered entirely in concrete, with a bomb situated near the Basque country.
• Sweden is large Ikea box with Gripen fighter planes
• United Kingdom, known for its Euroscepticism and relative isolation from the Continent, is “included” as missing piece in the kit.

So here are some close up images (from the AFP) of the sculpture: 

 

bulgaria

france

Germany

Italy

Romania

Poland

“Irony is about making fun. It is not meant to offend anybody… The EU is often such a serious thing, I think people have to take a lighter approach from time to time.”- David Černý, as quoted by Reuters.

I am a big fan, this is a brilliant ‘spoof’, and an amusing piece of modern art… I’m glad I don’t have to deal with its conservation. But, its highly amusing to see politicians get all flustered demonstrating that actually … its true… politicians really don’t have a sense of humour!

I will certainly be looking forward to the next project from this artist.