Burger Buttplug
This audio documentary explores the challenges faced by a number of artworks as they navigate public spaces. It focuses, among other things, on the story where residents took legal action to block the installation of a video art piece. And the ‘Santa Claus’ sculpture in Rotterdam, where a brown gnome with an anal dildo caused quite a stir for a long time.
Whereas art in a museum is treated with caution, artworks in public spaces seem to be public property; everyone has an opinion about them. Residents protest because they find a work of art nonsensical or offensive. Officials are accosted and booed. Amidst this turmoil, the artist must find a way to hold their ground. But what role does art play in public spaces? Is it merely urban decoration, or can a work of art also fulfil other functions?
NTR Radio Doc Podcast/ Eindredactie Jair Stein/ Radio 1, 2017
