A statue by well-known Swiss artist Urs Fischer has sparked some debate in the Russian capital, Moscow. “Big Clay #4” (“Grosser Lehm #4”) is the name of the 12-meter-high aluminum and steel work—and, as the name suggests, is supposed to represent a stack of clay blocks. The Russian Foundation for Contemporary Art VAC said it is a symbol of imperfection and transformation. The problem: For many Muscovites, the piece is more reminiscent of a huge pile of shit.
Comedian Maxim Galkin quipped shortly after the statue was erected in Bolotnaya Naberezhnaya on the banks of the Moscow River, “Big Clay” looks like “a bunch of particularly inaccurate things.” He hopes it will soon disappear from the city center. Architectural critic Grigori Rewsin recently wrote more restorative: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so does sh***.” Reactions on social networks also range from approval, amusement, and disapproval.
The sculpture is supposed to stand for 9 months
The dispute over the giant block did not end two weeks after its installation – the interest of many Muscovites did not end. On a sunny late summer day, people keep taking pictures and taking selfies.
Moscow Mayor Serge Sobyanin also recently joined the discussion – albeit in a very diplomatic way: He said the metal pile is a work of creative art and in demand all over the world. Within nine months, the work, previously shown in Florence and Manhattan, must travel to another country. (zis/SDA)
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