Later Edit: Bulgarians insisted to have the squat toiled depiction of their country covered up, so now Bulgaria is a black cloth on the European map. Totally ridiculous and shows how patriotic intentions can have the reverse effect! Read more about it here.
Romania as seen by Cerny’s Entropa
Bulgaria as seen by Cerny’s Entropa
If you’re in any way art-sensitive or art-educated, the shortest of visits to Prague will get you familiar with two very controversial Czech artists: David Cerny and Jan Saudek. As a photographer, the latter could not overpopulate the public space with his allegedly immoral creations. However, the former is well-known for his daring public displays, by painting for instance a Soviet tank in bright pink.
Cerny stroke back in glory this time, with a work titled Entropa, commissioned by the Czech EU Presidency, that’s currently displayed in the lobby of the European Council in Brussels. Supposedly a collage bringing together artistic visions of artists representing all 27 EU countries, in reality it is an exclusive work by Cerny that whole-heartedly mocks stereotypes European nations have of one another.
Thus, Italy is displayed as a football match between the North and the South, France as a big strike, Romania as a huge Dracula park and so on and forth. Bulgarians seem to have been the most offended, as Cerny envisioned their country as a Turkish toilet – reminding us all of the Ottoman yoke in the region. As a result, the Czech ambassador in Bulgaria was called up for official explanations.
Not surprisingly, Romanian newspapers are profoundly “offended” by this piece of art, which reminded me of the fuming controversy around the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York this summer. You can read more info here and here.
The international media seems to have a rather moderate stand on the issue, with BBC News simply telling the story behind Entropa and with the International Herald Tribune being equally objective.
Czech officials seem to be discontent with Cerny’s petite joke – namely doing the work all by himself, and not by working together with 26 other actors, but they don’t seem to pick at the content of the installation. Actions are pending, so I wonder if their broad mindedness will take into account the fact that 2009 is the official European Year of Innovation and Creativity…
the aging population of europe has its say
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toata povestea este cu dus si intors. Trebuiau sa lucreze impreuna cate un artist din fiecare tara… insa, in final, toata opera de arta a fost facuta cei doi cehi; astfel ca tot simbolismul initial s-a pierdut. Mie cea mai tare reprezentare a unei tari mi s-a parut cea a Marii Britanii… nici nu exista pe harta Entropei.
da, asta e clar singurul motiv pentru care cei care au platit pentru respectiva lucrare s-ar putea lua de ea. dar am inteles ca nenea klaus s-a luat de continutul lucrarii – ceea ce nu ma mira, in mod evident. pana la urma, totul e o gluma, de la felul in care a fost realizata (gen cerny spunea “i know they would get us”) pana la ceea ce portretiza, ca sa zic asa.
I agree with the post.
Bulgarians are in fact offended not as much by the “Turkish” adjective (most of us, including me, learned only during this same scandal that the classic time-proven model of toilet as a hole in the ground is called Turkish), but by the very fact of representing Bulgaria by a toilet. Unfortunately, we seem totally incapable of laughing at ourselves.
The artist explained his choice by his vivid memories of “Turkish” toilets when, as a child, he was brought by his parents to Bulgarian sea resorts.
great article thank you!