A prize-winning lifelike sculpture of a squatting policewoman urinating has whipped up a storm of protest in Germany, where it went on prominent display two weeks ago.
The work entitled “Petra” by 27-year-old German sculptor Marcel Walldorf is made of silicone and metal and has pitted public officials against art world aficionados in the debate over what is acceptable in the name of high culture.
It depicts a young female police officer in full riot gear crouching to pee, with exposed buttocks and a small gelatin “puddle” affixed to the floor of the gallery at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, eastern Germany.
PHOTO: AFP 照片：法新社
The work was completed one year ago and has captured a 1,000-euro (US$1,328) prize by the prestigious Leinemann Foundation for fine arts.
“It shows very well the difference between the public sphere and the private sphere,” the jury said.
But Saxony interior minister Markus Ulbig, who is responsible for the state’s security services, told the German press he was “shocked” by the sculpture, which he branded “an insult to police officers.”
A police union also blasted the piece, saying it “breached the limits of artistic freedom.”
“There have of course been letters of protest, particularly addressed to the artist,” a spokeswoman for the Academy of Fine Arts, Andrea Weippert, told AFP.
But she insisted that the public response had been “overwhelmingly positive”.
“People who visit the show are not offended,” she said.
She said she was surprised by the attention given to the display of “Petra” in Dresden as it had already been featured in smaller shows in the cities of Berlin and Leipzig.
“The artist is exploring a taboo zone. ‘Petra’ is not a pro-vocation,” she said. “It is an observation of society.”
(AFP)
一件獲獎雕塑，生動逼真呈現一名正在撒尿的女警，兩週前開始在德國盛大展出，引來抗議聲橫掃德國。
名為「佩特拉」的作品，是由現年二十七歲德國雕塑家馬賽爾‧沃爾多夫用矽膠和金屬創作而成，希望藉由公職人員與藝術迷的衝突，反思高雅文化下社會所能接受底線的討論。
這件正在德國東部德勒斯登藝術學院畫廊展出的作品，描述年輕女警全副武裝，卻光著屁股蹲姿撒尿，地上也塗抹一小灘明膠（表示尿液）。
「佩特拉」在一年前完成，獲得頗具聲望的Leinemann藝術基金會一千歐元（約一千三百二十八美元）獎金。
評審團稱，「它很貼切地表現公職階層與市井小民的差異。」
不過負責薩克遜州治安的內政部長馬可斯‧烏比格向德國平面媒體表示，他對這雕塑感到「震驚」，並說這是「對員警的侮辱。」
警察聯盟也抨擊此作品是「悖逆藝術自由的底線。」
藝術學院發言人安卓雅‧葦柏特告訴法新社說，「當然有抗議信函，矛頭特別是指向藝術家本身。」
不過葦柏特強調，大多數民眾對這件作品的回應是「壓倒性正面的」。
她說，「現場欣賞作品的民眾，不覺得被冒犯。」
她說，大眾對「佩特拉」在德勒斯登展出的關注程度，令她驚訝。這件作品先前已在德國柏林與萊比錫展出過。
她說，「這位藝術家是在探索一個禁忌地帶。『佩特拉』不是挑釁。」她接著說，「這是對社會的觀察。」
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
A: The 2025 World Masters Games will begin on May 17 and run until May 30. B: World Masters Games? A: It’s a quadrennial multi-sport event for people over 30, which will be jointly held by Taipei and New Taipei City. B: Cool, maybe we can go cheer for all the athletes from home and abroad. A: There will be an athletes’ parade in downtown Taipei prior to the opening ceremony on Saturday. Let’s go then. A: 2025雙北世界壯年運動會5月17日開幕，持續至5月30日閉幕。 B: 世壯運？ A: 這是四年一度、以30歲以上青壯年為主的運動會，本屆是由台北市和新北市共同舉辦。 B: 好酷喔，我們去幫來自國內外的選手們加油吧！ A: 週六在台北市區會有選手遊行，之後是開幕典禮，我們去看吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
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