Polish activists oppose covering up Entropa


Polish activists oppose covering up Entropa CTK / 28 January 2009 Brussels, Jan 27 (CTK) - The Index 73 association of Polish art scientists and journalists has placed a petition on the Internet last week protesting against the covering of the "Bulgarian part" of Czech sculptor David Cerny's Entropa controversial installation in Brussels, its spokeswoman Lidia Makowska said on Tuesday. She told CTK by phone that through the petition the association wanted to achieve that Entropa were again displayed as a whole, without any censorship. Cerny's Entropa art installation, mocking various cliches and prejudices connected with the EU countries was unveiled in the EU Council's seat within the Czech Republic's EU presidency three weeks ago. The Czech Republic assumed the six-month EU rotating presidency on January 1. The installation is to be on display until June 30. Bulgaria has officially protested against being shown as a country symbolised by Turkish (squat) toilets on Cerny's map of Europe. In reaction to it, its part of the map was covered with a black sheet last week. The first petition demanding that the Bulgarian map be again opened was launched by Bulgarian citizens last week. Regardless of the controversies that accompanied its presentation, Entropa has been on display for two weeks and is a remarkable symbol of the Czech EU presidency. "Europe is lacking the art of critical reflection. We are demanding that the Bulgarian government apologise and that the covered part of Entropa be again unveiled," Makowska said. She said Index 73 was dealing with the cases of censorship in Polish art and that it had registered about 90 such cases over the past 20 years. "We strongly support David Cerny's right to express himself in a provocative manner that opens a debate about our internal European problems," says an open letter that accompanies the petition. The letter is addressed to the Bulgarian president and government. According to Makowska, Index 73 will collect signatures until February 16 and will the hand the petition over to the Bulgarian authorities. During the public presentation of the artifact Cerny and Czech Minister for EU Affairs Alexandr Vondra apologised to Bulgarians. Cerny has mystified the Czech government and the whole of the EU by pretending that he created the artifact to represent the Czech EU presidency, a stylised map depicting the EU countries in a shocking way, along with another 26 artists from the EU member states. However, it finally surfaced that the authors were fictitious persons and that he created the artifact with a couple of his friends. Vondra was responsible for the art project on behalf of the Czech EU presidency but he had no idea Cerny was its sole author. Cerny apologised to the Czech government and Vondra but said that "a grotesque hyperbole and mystification belong to characteristic features of Czech culture."

CTK /

28 January 2009

Brussels, Jan 27 (CTK) - The Index 73 association of Polish art scientists and journalists has placed a petition on the Internet last week protesting against the covering of the "Bulgarian part" of Czech sculptor David Cerny's Entropa controversial installation in Brussels, its spokeswoman Lidia Makowska said on Tuesday.

She told CTK by phone that through the petition the association wanted to achieve that Entropa were again displayed as a whole, without any censorship.

Cerny's Entropa art installation, mocking various cliches and prejudices connected with the EU countries was unveiled in the EU Council's seat within the Czech Republic's EU presidency three weeks ago.

The Czech Republic assumed the six-month EU rotating presidency on January 1. The installation is to be on display until June 30.

Bulgaria has officially protested against being shown as a country symbolised by Turkish (squat) toilets on Cerny's map of Europe. In reaction to it, its part of the map was covered with a black sheet last week.

The first petition demanding that the Bulgarian map be again opened was launched by Bulgarian citizens last week.

Regardless of the controversies that accompanied its presentation, Entropa has been on display for two weeks and is a remarkable symbol of the Czech EU presidency.

"Europe is lacking the art of critical reflection. We are demanding that the Bulgarian government apologise and that the covered part of Entropa be again unveiled," Makowska said.

She said Index 73 was dealing with the cases of censorship in Polish art and that it had registered about 90 such cases over the past 20 years.

"We strongly support David Cerny's right to express himself in a provocative manner that opens a debate about our internal European problems," says an open letter that accompanies the petition.

The letter is addressed to the Bulgarian president and government.

According to Makowska, Index 73 will collect signatures until February 16 and will the hand the petition over to the Bulgarian authorities.

During the public presentation of the artifact Cerny and Czech Minister for EU Affairs Alexandr Vondra apologised to Bulgarians.

Cerny has mystified the Czech government and the whole of the EU by pretending that he created the artifact to represent the Czech EU presidency, a stylised map depicting the EU countries in a shocking way, along with another 26 artists from the EU member states.

However, it finally surfaced that the authors were fictitious persons and that he created the artifact with a couple of his friends.

Vondra was responsible for the art project on behalf of the Czech EU presidency but he had no idea Cerny was its sole author.

Cerny apologised to the Czech government and Vondra but said that "a grotesque hyperbole and mystification belong to characteristic features of Czech culture."