Silly Little Country

More on Entropa

This from Spiegel-Online.

Still, a new art project commissioned by Prague in honor of its six-month stint at the head of the 27-member bloc has caused the Czechs to blush with embarrassment. Called "Entropa," the piece is a €373,000 over-sized mosaic map of Europe that relies on stereotypes to depict each country. And a number of countries are furious about it.

Still, other depictions make it clear that flattery was not one of Cerny's goals. Romania is shown as a Dracula theme park; Spain is merely a slab of concrete, in reference to its recently burst real-estate bubble; Holland is shown as being flooded over with only a few minarets poking out above the waves; Luxembourg is a gold nugget with a huge "For Sale" sign sticking out of it; and France is covered with a large sign reading "strike," an allusion to that country's frequent labor battles.

What is unfortunate to my mind is that this may make it harder for David Cerny to get commissions in the future. I at least get some pleasure from his work, unlike my experience with Damien Hirst, as a simple example.

Labels: David Cerny, Entrops, modern art

posted by Alan Adamson @ 3:48 PM