posted on May 13, 2004 08:33:09 AM newHow to hang art and shock people
Eerie sculptures of three boys hanging by nooses from a tree in a busy Milan square have shocked passers-by and angered some local politicians.
The three life-size dummies of barefoot boys, their necks roped to the tree and their bodies limp, stared dully into the distance, drawing double-takes from onlookers and front-page stories in major national newspapers.
"It's horrendous," a woman named Paola told Reuters Television. "Look how it's given me goose bumps. My God, but why?"
The sculpture was the latest by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan to spark controversy.
His works have included a sculpture of Adolf Hitler kneeling in an empty room in a Munich museum and a likeness of Pope John Paul felled by a meteorite.
"Even if it's for a good reason, I find it frightening, especially for a child or sensitive person," passer-by Alessandra Pieroni said.
City councillor Stefano Di Martino was one of several local politicians to condemn the work, calling it "a way of letting out people's sick fantasies".
But the artist told La Repubblica newspaper that to him the boys were "almost angelic" and that he was trying to "give a warning about childhood and about violence".
"Childhood, this strange place where traumas happen and you dream incredible dreams, is a place I always return to," he said.
The exhibit, set up on May 5, will run until June 6.
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Sculpture can be viewed here. Warning, some may find it offensive. It does look very realistic.
