A Russian sculptor has been arrested for laying a giant turd in a central St. Petersburg park, local media reported Monday.
“It’s so beautiful that I pooped myself,” quipped Ivan Volkov in a since-deleted Facebook post that included a photo of his long, brown snow sculpture, according to St. Petersburg’s Bumaga news website.
Images of the fecal installation in the middle of St. Petersburg’s Field of Mars memorial park had circulated online since Thursday and immediately drew the authorities’ attention.
Municipal services told the Podyom news website that they removed the five-meter sculpture by Saturday. It attached a photo of the discolored figure with a snow head on one end, which the outlet said made the sculpture resemble a “caterpillar.”
Police arrested Volkov, 29, on charges of desecrating a burial ground, for which he faces between three months and five years in prison.
St. Petersburg’s Field of Mars houses a mass grave of victims of Russia's 1917 revolutions and civil war.
A police file cited by the Fontanka news website accused Volkov of “deliberately, cynically and immorally” placing “an art object made of snow in the form of giant feces in a yellow puddle.”
Volkov’s mother told Fontanka that the sculptor, whose social media page contains a variety of snow sculptures, has taken part in group exhibitions in Moscow, New York and Berlin.
Volkov graduated from Moscow’s Institute of Contemporary Art and the Stroganoff Academy of Design and Applied Arts. State media has previously featured his giant snow artworks, which have included tributes to delivery workers and public health officials battling the coronavirus pandemic.
The Znak.com news website reported later Tuesday that Volkov was released pending orders to appear in court.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
