[SgtL] Entropa

A few days ago, on the 12th, the EU unveiled its latest artwork for the Justus Lipsius building which is replaced every six months when a new country is elected to the presidency. The newly elected Czech government commissioned a piece by one David Černý, who has managed to offend a lot of people.

The artwork is called Entropa and can be seen in full here (click to magnify). It features the nations of the EU in a pop-out plastic mould, each nation featuring a stereotype:

Quote:

With no clear indication made by the artist nor by the official presentation, various interpretations of a single country can be drawn, and this list is by no means definite.
Austria, a known opponent of atomic energy, is a green field dominated by nuclear power plant cooling towers
Belgium is presented as a half-full box of half-eaten Praline chocolates
Bulgaria is depicted by a series of connected "Turkish" squat toilets
Cyprus is jigsawed (cut) in half
The Czech Republic's own piece is an LED display, which will flash controversial quotations by Czech President Václav Klaus after the sculpture's activation
Denmark is a face depicted in Lego bricks, reminiscent of the cartoon controversy
Estonia is presented with a hammer and sickle-styled power tools, the country has considered a ban on Communist symbols
Finland is depicted as a wooden floor and an [apparently drunk] male with a rifle, imagining various animals
France is draped in a "GRÈVE!" ("STRIKE!") banner
Germany is a series of interlocking autobahns, described as "somewhat resembling a swastika", though that is not universally accepted.[10] Upon activation, the cars are supposed to start moving.
Greece is depicted as a forest that is entirely burned
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; upon activation, the bagpipes are expected to play music every five minutes
Italy is depicted as a football pitch with the players holding balls in the "strategic position"
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 elephant as its only decoration
The Netherlands has disappeared under the sea with only a several minarets still visible; upon activation, this piece is supposed to emit the singing of muezzins
Poland has a piece with priests erecting the rainbow flag of the Gay rights movement, in the style of the U.S. soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes at Iwo Jima.
Portugal is shown as a wooden cutting board with three pieces of meat in the shape of its former colonies of Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique
Romania is a Dracula-style theme park
Slovakia is depicted as a Hungarian sausage (or a human body tighten by Hungarian tricolour)
Slovenia is shown as a rock engraved with the words first tourists came here 1213
Spain is covered entirely in concrete, with a concrete mixer situated near the Basque country
Sweden does not have an outline, but is represented as large Ikea-style self-assembly furniture, containing Gripen fighter planes[citation needed]
The United Kingdom, known for its Euroscepticism and relative isolation from the Continent, is "included" as missing piece (an empty space) at the top-left of the work

Anywho, various member countries have demonstrated various levels of anger (the Slovaks, of course, heading the vanguard) so, tell me what you all think and whether you find you particular country's representation to be offensive in some way.

--That ain't no English I ever dun heard!

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Re: [SgtL] Entropa

Bronze Member

Shame Switzerland is not part of the EU Wink


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"The problem with Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again." - George Miller


Re: [SgtL] Entropa

Admin

What? the EU having a sense of humour? Artistic license and irony? Mustn't be allowed!!! Burn 'im! E's a witch! err, something....


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Lee Alley
"I could tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel"


Re: [SgtL] Entropa

Alas many don't see the irony in that. I miss the old europe I never got to experience Sad


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That ain't no English I ever dun heard!


Re: [SgtL] Entropa

Bronze Member

Well, I can definitely see the iron in it


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"The problem with Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again." - George Miller


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