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You wouldn’t want to make a half baked pile of crap now would ya…

David Cerny’s elegy to the European Union ‘States’ celebrating the Czech Republic’s presidency is, while somewhat satirical in nature, certainly half baked in execution… I’m no art critic, but I dare say this wouldn’t look too out of place as a gimmicky mini-golf park.

Visual sketches representing: Belgium, Germany

Visual sketches representing: Bulgaria, Romania

Each country is stripped bare to a comic representation. Sweden is a flat pack IKEA box. Romania, a fairground attraction horror train entrance, complete with Dracula overhang. The Netherlands is submerged under water. Probably most offensive is Bulgaria – represented as a toilet, I’ve been there it ain’t all bad!

Visual sketches representing: Netherlands, Italy

Luxembourg, my present residence, is represented by a faux gold nugget with an explanation that is scarily true! “We readily place our faith in the stock exchange and banks, but often harbour suspicions about art. We remain suspicious right up to the moment that art is transformed into financial worth.” Couldn’t have put it better myself!

View all 27 countries in the exhibits accompanying booklet – the individual artists are fictional.

With an initial commissioning fee of near €400,000 David Cerny proposed to coordinate an artistic endeavour with 26 other European artists. Part of the current media, critic and EU agitation is this didn’t happen. No 26 European artists asked, nor involved. Afterwards Cerny stated “financial constraints” as one of the reasons this didn’t happen. Frankly it is that which is most offensive. What part of this €400,000 was too constrained to seek out well deserving European artists who could have well done with a piece of that financial pie and then collectively taken the piss! [it must be stated that apparently Cerny has not kept the entire fee.]

Despite these sardonic elements – we Europeans do already know how to laugh at ourselves, thanks! - in my opinion the overall piece is not exactly thought provoking, it’s certainly infantile and holds to representing Cerny and his artistic comradery as the lowest common denominator! Share the wealth man… there’s artists starving out there!

…does the Czech Presidency website perhaps agree? On searching ‘David Cerny’:

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No matches found.

–UPDATE 23:18 20/01/09–
Due to protests from Bulgaria the toilet section depecting their country has been covered up! To right!