By Martin Banks - 13th January 2009
It’s a punk gesture, intentionally primitive and vulgar, faecally pubertal
Bulgarian artist Elena Jelebova on her contribution to the Czech EU presidency art installation, which is being interpreted by onlookers as a "toilet"
A new Czech presidency art installation that portrays Bulgaria as a “toilet” has set tongues wagging in Brussels and caused offence among some onlookers.
The exhibition, called Entropa, is suspended in the foyer of the council’s Justus Lipsius building, and is designed to be a tongue-in-cheek look at member states.
France is cheekily portrayed as a nation permanently on strike, Britain, one of the EU’s more Eurosceptic members, is wiped off the European map completely and Dracula’s castle adorns the map of Romania.
But it is the depiction of Bulgaria, one of the EU’s newest members, which has caused particular offence.
The map of Bulgaria is dominated by two footsteps and a hole, which has been taken to be a squat toilet.
Georgi Gotev, a Bulgarian journalist who lives and works in Brussels, said, “It is an absolute disgrace and this has caused great offence to people who have heard about this in Bulgaria.
“I am not interested in whether this is supposed to be a caricature or not. The fact is that this will be seen by Bulgarians as rude and offensive.
“It is one thing portraying, say, France as a country on strike, but quite another to show my homeland as a toilet. That is downright wrong.”
The exhibition, organised as part of a cultural plan for the next six months by the Czech EU presidency, will be officially opened on Thursday.
Jan Vytopil, who is in charge of cultural events during the six-month presidency, which began on January 1, told this website that the exhibition did not set out to cause offence.
“It is quite the opposite, in fact, and is aimed at showing that the traditional image of many member states is simply not true.”
He added, “I must admit it is the first time that an installation by the EU presidency has provoked debate.”
He said the Czech Republic had asked an artist from each member state to represent stereotypes and prejudices about their own country. “Stereotypes are barriers to be demolished,” he said.
“It is sure to upset a lot of people, and that is also what I am aiming for,” Bulgarian artist Elena Jelebova says in a note accompanying the exhibition. “It’s a punk gesture, intentionally primitive and vulgar, faecally pubertal.”
The Czech EU presidency motto is Europe without barriers. In the Entropa exhibition, Polish artist Leszek Hirszenberg shows Catholic clergy erecting the rainbow flag of the gay community.
The map of the Netherlands is presented totally flooded with water with just the minarets of mosques visible.
Italy is transformed into a giant football pitch with players holding strategically-placed footballs. Artist Francesco Zempedroni speaks of “an auto-erotic system of sensational spectacle with no climax in sight”.
Britain is taken off the EU map entirely, with the explanation by artist Khalid Asadi shedding little light on his depiction.
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