Entropa

“We knew the truth would come out. But before that we wanted to find out if Europe is able to laugh at itself.”

–David Černý

To mark its presidency of the EU, the Czech Republic commissioned David Černý to make a sculpture to be installed at the EU Council building in Brussels. Actually, he was supposed to coordinate the "joint work of 27 artists, each one from a different Member State," but decided it would be more fun to create each piece himself and credit some fake but suitably pretentious artists instead. 

Holland, Italy / Germany, Bulgaria

Entropa plays on stereotypes, which is always a fraught endeavor, but some of the references truly are meaner than others. Bulgaria, for example, is a bunch of interconnected (apparently Turkish) toilets. Spain is a big void of cement and rebar. Italy would seem to have gotten off easy with the football field but for the smug caption. And Britain is altogether missing. But then Sweden is an IKEA box and Belgium is a box of chocolates. 

Bulgaria wants out of the sculpture, as does Slovakia (apparently a body in the form of a Hungarian sausage?).  Given the suspicious shape of the German highways, I wouldn't be surprised if Germany did also. The artist denies he was making any allusion there but I don't believe him. 

The clever representation of Poland (left) depicts priests putting up a rainbow flag, Iwo Jima style. 

In conclusion, all I know is that PJPII is not laughing.