Russian Ministry Awards Art Prize To Group That Painted 210-Foot Penis on Drawbridge — While Criminal Charges Are Pending

The radical art collective Voina is facing charges for hooliganism after the group painted a 210-foot penis a drawbridge in St. Petersburg. The group, however, will also receive an art prize from the Ministry of Culture and the National Center for Contemporary Art.

The seven-member jury cited the fact that the work gained such a wide audience via the Internet. Here is the most interesting quote in the article below: “No one wanted to look like a conformist,” said Mr. Yerofeyev, a prominent intellectual who has long championed Voina, which means war.”

The fact that it is not even a good picture of a penis does not appear to matter. What matters is that hundreds of thousands of prepubescent boys are considered ranking artists in Russia.

The group will receive $14,200 — which will buy a lot of paint.

The work did have some political merit: it pointed at the St. Petersburg headquarters of the state security service, who are widely viewed as colossal di . . . jerks.

Source: New York Times