Czechs apologise for EU artwork

THE Czechs launched their controversial artwork in the EU’s headquarters yesterday, saying freedom of expression was the foundation of democracy — and promptly apologised for the work.

An unprecedented crowd gathered in the huge, covered atrium of the building where prime ministers and ministers from the member states usually meet, and applauded when the 16sq m installation depicting each country was switched on.

The little cars immediately began to travel along the German autobahn shaped suspiciously like a swastika; the squat toilet on Bulgaria was lit with flashing lights; Ireland’s brown, furry bagpipes played and whined; each of the Italian footballers fondled a ball to rapturous applause; nuclear stacks emitted smoke on pristine Austria; and the little Lithuanian boys peed into neighbouring Byelorussia.

The Bulgarians are furious, however, and have asked that their country be removed.

Czech vice-premier Alexandr Vondra said that if an under-standing with the Bulgarians could not be reached, the depiction of their country as a toilet would be removed.

Since the work was hoisted into place a few days ago, Denmark as Legoland had been adjusted to remove the faint image of the prophet Mohammed as depicted in the controversial cartoons.

This is despite Mr Vondra stating it was intended for the decoration to be an expression of artistic freedom in line with the Czech presidency motto, A Europe Without Barriers, and that the piece was nothing more or less than a piece of art.

It was not how the Czechs saw member countries and he understood some were offended.

“I would like to apologise to them, not just to Bulgaria but to any other member state that is offended,” he said.

He left nobody in doubt that the blame lay with the artist David Cerny, who once painted pink a Soviet tank war memorial in central Prague — for which he was arrested, as the Russians were not amused.

The artist had misled the Czech government by pretending to commission artists from all the EU states to depict their own country in a manner intended to demolish stereotypes, Mr Vondra said. The artist was refunding the Czech government the money for the project.