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 last week.
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.
The work entitled "Petra" was completed one year ago and has
captured a 1,000-euro (1,328-dollar) 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."
The GdP 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
provocation," she said. "It is an observation of society."