Artist Marco Evaristti, who painted an iceberg red last month, has moved south for his latest project:
- A Danish artist who made headlines by painting an iceberg red has given South Africans an unusual gift to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid.
Chilean born artist Marco Evaristti poured a gallon of red organic dye into a fountain at Johannesburg's upmarket Mandela Square shopping mall late Sunday. He said the gesture was to beautify a "very badly proportioned and really ugly" statue of South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, standing next to the fountain.
"I want to make something pretty for the country to celebrate its 10 years of democracy," he said in a telephone interview Monday with The Associated Press. "I want to bring some happiness."
Evaristti, who turned 41 Sunday, called the work "Pink Elephant in Mandela Square."
"I first wanted to paint a real elephant pink, but authorities wanted $7,490 for it. So I rather went for the statue," he said.
Officials at Mandela Square declined to comment, saying they were still dealing with the matter.
"The management wants me to pay for damages, but I refuse," Evaristti said. "I will rather go to trial and exercise my right to free speech."
....On Thursday, he brings his unique brand of art to Canada before continuing to France. He declined to say what he has planned in those countries, because he said authorities might try to stop him. "But it will be beautiful," he said. [AP]
Heartiest congats to South Africa for the more or less bloodless move to democracy.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a picture of the fountain work. It doesn't sound nearly as impressive as the iceberg, though.
I will be watching for his art attacks on Canada and France.
Article comments
1 - Joe
He's no Christo!
2 - jadester
To be honest, i wouldn't call that art, even in the losest sense, because alomost anyone could do it, given enough money. It doesn't take talent to pour dye into a foutnain.
3 - Eric Olsen
But remember, it isn't the execution it's the concept that makes "conceptual art."
4 - jadester
but, anything that could be done by literally almost anyone, should not be classed as art.
Otherwise, much of what i do day-to-day could be classed as "conceptual art". hell, almost my entire life. And anyone else's. There's something up with that.
5 - visualsimplicity
Who's to say what you do isn't art jadester? There's an artist in all of us.
By the way Joe, if you're going to credit Christo, you should at least mention Jeanne-Claude too. She is a large part of what Christo does, if not the true-brain behind it all (you know the saying, behind every brilliant man is a brilliant woman--or something along those lines).
6 - Shark
"...much of what i do day-to-day could be classed as "conceptual art". hell, almost my entire life."
Um, Jadestar... that's kinda the point.
Re: Evaristti's fountain "art" -- funny, in Texas, we call that "vandalism"
7 - Joe
VS- You're absolutely correct, I only have a cursory knowledge of Christo's work from when he used to draped the coastline or whatever the hell he did.
By the way, is there any way we could get those green polar bears on the red iceberg?
8 - Eric Olsen
This is why the ability to elucidate the "concept" is the most important aspect of conceptual art. Execution is secondary to the idea - it is more akin to creative writing than to the physical creation of art.
Green on Red - I think that was a band from L.A.
9 - visualsimplicity
I didn't see this conceptual art, but isn't red dye a fairly inappropriate color to dye a fountain in front of a statue of Nelson Mandela in a gesture to celebrate 10 years of "bloodless" democracy?
10 - Eric Olsen
He seems to like red a lot
11 - Douglas Mays
I like this sort of thing. Guerilla Art on a grand scale. the iceburg I would love to see photos from all angles. The use of red against the blue and white of nature... OK, I'm being an art snob.
Oh gosh, here it comes, Christo vs. Evaristti? Well, different forms of landscape art I guess. Giant tarps for Christo, Evaristti splashing color, James Turrell digging, molding and other illusions...
Stuff that you can't take home and put in the gallery....
peaceloveguidance
12 - Douglas Mays
re: comment # 2 by jadester. Q: What is art? A: What isn't. Picasso said that (you know, that asshole!).
I would imagine Evaristti's entire body of artistic works is alright. Probably some good stuff. I'm sure he has vision and meaning behind his approach, use of colors, etc... But especially in abstract art, one will always hear the "my 5 year old could have done that!" But he didn't.
For instance I remember back in college in the mid '70s me and budz were smokin' a bunch of pot in the parking lot. We stagger into the campus to find that someone poured Tide (or whatever brand of detergent) into the fountain. Mass bubbles! Then the wind would swoop into the fountain, lift a giant mass of bubbles to float around the mall. Vandalism turns into an abstract installation of Guerilla Art.
Anyway, it was cool. Made my day...
13 - sheri
"Vandalism turns into an abstract installation of Guerilla Art".
LOL! Love it...
14 - Douglas Mays
Sheri, you ROCK!
15 - sheri
Thanks Doug......lol. Actually, I am rocking to the Pixies, whom I have 'discovered' and decided that they rock :0)
16 - Douglas Mays
sheri: Pixies? Cool, if I remember correctly, I think David Bowie has been tipping his hat to them lately.
But, oh man, when it comes to the rocking that you talk about, geez, I'm so into the whole genre of thought as such a fine art.
Rockin' as abstract installation Guerilla Art! I've done that one also. By clicking on my name at the top of the 'comment' might explain a bit.
OK, I won't talk your ear off, I do have some sensibility.....OMG, LOL!!!!!
peaceloveguidance