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Danish artist continues to paint the town red

The Danish artist who recently made headlines for painting an iceberg is continuing his "red" period with an unusual -- and unwanted -- gift to South Africa, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the end of apartheid Tuesday.

Chilean-born artist Marco Evaristti poured red organic dye into a fountain located in an upmarket section of Johannesburg Sunday. The artist said the gesture was his attempt to beautify a "very badly proportioned and really ugly" statue of Nelson Mandela, which stands next to the fountain.

"I want to make something pretty for the country to celebrate its 10 years of democracy," the 41-year-old said of his work, which he entitled Pink Elephant in Mandela Square, in an interview Monday. "I want to bring some happiness."

"I first wanted to paint a real elephant pink, but authorities wanted $7,490 US for it. So I rather went for the statue," he said.

"The management wants me to pay for damages, but I refuse. I will rather go to trial and exercise my right to free speech."

Officials at Mandela Square declined to comment.

In March, Evaristti and a small team spray-painted an iceberg off the Greenland coast blood red. Scheduled to visit Canada this Thursday before continuing to France, the controversial artist declined to say if he will practise his art in those countries because he believes authorities may try to stop him.

"But it will be beautiful," Evaristti said.

The visual and performance artist, whose website calls him "preoccupied with blood," drew both attention and disdain in 2000 with a gallery exhibit featuring 10 working blenders filled with goldfish. A patron took up Evaristti's invitation to turn the devices on and ground up a pair of fish. The gallery's director was charged with animal cruelty but was later acquitted.

Posted by thinkum at April 27, 2004 03:08 PM