Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Enfant terrible? Not quite

This isn't about Japan but I gotta say something, primarily because I used to live in the Czech Republic.
Anyway, a Czech artist called David Cerny was supposed to organize the hiring of 27 artists around Europe for an artwork representing Europe. In fact he did it all himself with a couple of mates. In it there are national stereotypes representing the countries. Out of Cerny's supposedly brilliant imagination we have, among others, Bulgaria shown as a toilet, Germany as an interweaving set of autobahn in the shape of a swastika (groan), and Romania as a Dracula theme park. It's not surprising really that the whole of Europe are up in arms in indignation, especially seeing as the dim Czechs currently hold the rotating presidency.
And what about how the Czechs represent themselves? It doesn't say, but let me have a try: a fat man with a mullet hairstyle kicking a gypsy? Is that any more offensive than being called Nazis? Cerny is not so much enfant terrible as simply terrible. What a silly little tit.

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