Artist Paul McCarthy's giant butt plug sculpture, Tree, was erected late last week in Paris and promptly deflated by vandals who deemed it too offensive. Well, we love it when art knots the panties of the uptight. So, in honor of giant butt plugs, superhero boners and artistic expression, here's our tribute to the public works of art that got the kibosh before the world had a chance to appreciate them.
Artist Paul McCarthy's giant butt plug sculpture, Tree, was erected late last week in Paris and promptly deflated by vandals who deemed it too offensive. Well, we love it when art knots the panties of the uptight. So, in honor of giant butt plugs, superhero boners and artistic expression, here's our tribute to the public works of art that got the kibosh before the world had a chance to appreciate them.
Tree was installed on the Palace Vendome on October 18th as part of the International Modern Art Fair (FIAC). It's supposed to be a Christmas tree but some prissy Parisians couldn't get their minds out of the gutter and decided it was a monstrous sex toy, an affront to art and a sexual assault on every eye that gazed upon it. Vandals cut its strings and the inflatable masterpiece melted into the ground. Really though, both butt plugs and Christmas trees arouse excitement and joy, so couldn't they just live and let live?
Here are two more works from McCarthy, Santa Clause, and Complex Pile. Santa Clause was commissioned by the Netherlands for 180,000 Euros, and nobody is really sure how they feel about it. It keeps bouncing around from city to city. Hopefully one day this jolly gnome will find a nice home where the gift it brings will be welcome.
Complex Pile, was inflated in West Kowloon, Hong Kong as part of an inflatable art exhibit. Surprisingly, people weren't so disturbed by this work, but mother nature was. After a huge rainstorm the poo was damaged and deflated.
Which brings us to Eunsuk Yoo's version of Spiderman. This super-sculpture was perched a-top a mall and kept a watchful eye over the children playing in the playground below. Kids love Spiderman right? Who cares if he's got a massive boner? After a year of public outcry Spiderman was finally taken down. Yoo said that he was trying to naturalize the super hero in a comical way. Way to go Ensuk, that shit is hilarious.
Czech Artist David Cerny, figured the best way to voice his opinion during parliamentary elections was to flip the bird on a boat. Nobody seemed to mind the giant floating finger. You go Cezch Republic for not being easily offended.
In Jinan, China a pair of mysterious naked Buddhas showed up and thoroughly enraged the town. They showed up on a Sunday and by Monday had caused enough stir in the community to be taken down. Nobody knows who the artist was, but kudos to you for the stealthy installation.
Bear Eats Man by Icelandic artist Thordis Adalsteinsdottir was placed in Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens late last year. The sweet, mammalian embrace and erect phallus sparked outrage. Kids play in this park they said, bestiality should not be on public display they cried. But, since New York cares about art and stuff, and censoring is bad, they erected a wooden fence plastered with a parental advisory. Which we're sure reads: "DANGER: BEARS AND BONERS"
If it's childish to find these works of art amusing, we don't ever want to grow up.
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