When it comes to public art, it can either be annoying and pointless (like children falling down while holding hands) or really weird and completely random. We’ve covered some strange statues before, like the “Child Eater” in Switzerland, the Boll Weevil Monument in Alabama, and the Beatles in Kazakhstan. Well, here’s another one to add to the list.
Located in Malá Straná, on the small plaza right outside the Kafka Museum (I wonder what he would have to say about this?) is a fountain made by sculptor David Černý. Created in 2004, the appropriately titled Piss depicts two bronze figures on opposite ends of a pool with swiveling hips and moving male genitalia from which steady streams of water write out quotes from famous Czechs. And the pool just happens to be shaped like the Czech Republic, so they’re peeing directly onto their homeland. How controversial and amusing! Anyway, if you happen to be visiting this public artwork, you can call a number listed nearby and send a text message. Guess what? The sculptures will write (or should I say pee) out your words. How interactive! In a 2009 interview, Černý said the figures are “an apt commentary on the self-deprecating Czechs, who…have gritted their teeth through centuries of invasion and occupation, barely resisting and seldom winning at anything.” How political!
