This might be a complete co-incidence, but it's got a moo moo, a 23,
graffiti and abandoning art in it so it probably deserves to live in the
list archives...

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Militant graffiti artists
August 20, 2004


Swedish graffiti artists kidnapped a fibreglass cow from the
international art exhibit CowParade, held power drills to its
head and threatened to "sacrifice" it unless the sculptures were
declared "non-art".

A video sent to a newspaper showed the cow flanked by two masked,
black-clad figures wielding power drills in front of a sign reading
"Stockholm's Militant Graffiti Artists".

"We demand that the cows are declared non-art. Otherwise the hostage
will be sacrificed," said a voice on the video. The group gave the
organisers of the Stockholm exhibit until noon on August 23 to comply
with their demand.

The video was shown to police investigating the cow's disappearance last
week from an island housing Stockholm's Modern Art Museum.

"We are very upset about the whole matter," said Helena Cederberg, a
spokeswoman for CowParade, which is touted as "the world's largest
public art event".

It has displayed life-size cows decorated by local artists across the
world starting with Chicago and New York in 1999.

The shows are sponsored by local business and promote the work of
professional and amateur local artists. When the show ends, the cows are
auctioned and 75 per cent of the proceeds go to charity. The Stockholm
cows are to be auctioned next month.

There are 68 more fibre-glass cows grazing on pavements, squares and in
shop-windows all around Stockholm, but Cederberg said: "We're not going
to worry just yet about the other cows, we are waiting for information
from the police."

CowParade is also on show in the Czech capital Prague, Manchester,
England and Harrisburg in Pennsylvania. It opens soon in South Africa.

Vandalism marred the Prague show, prompting ex-president Vaclav Havel,
who decorated one cow, to say: "Maybe some people can't bear to look at
anything nice, unusual or ornamental, maybe they can't even bear to look
into the mirror".

Reuters

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