In the Loop: January 15, 2009 Archive

'Hey European Union, can't you take a joke?'

Posted at 2:50 PM on January 15, 2009 by Sanden Totten (1 Comments)

Dominique Faget AFP/Getty Images

It's not everyday that a piece of public art makes international headlines. But when an EU office commissions a sculpture that depicts Bulgaria as a giant toilet . . . people will notice.

David Cerny is the guy behind the sculpture. He was hired to work with 27 other artists to create a mosaic celebrating the Czech Republic's 6 month EU presidency. Cerny didn't work with 27 other artists and what he made didn't really celebrate the EU.

Dominique Faget AFP/Getty Images

Along with a flush-able Blugaria, Luxembourg was shown as a piece of gold up for sale, Netherlands was flooded with only the tops of minarets above water and Germany has a series of roadways that looks suspiciously like a Swastika. Nice, dude . . . very tasteful. (Click here for more pictures)

The sculptor's defense was that he "wanted to find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself".

Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra response was to profusely apologize for the whole ordeal. He said if Bulgaria insists they are willing to take down the toilet. But the rest of the sculpture would stay. "We wanted to prove that 20 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, there is no censorship," Vondra said.

Comment on this post