The Norwegian Vigeland Park is an 80 acre landscape garden containing 212 statues created by Gustav Vigeland. Many of the life size statues are depicted carrying out everyday activities (walking, running) and are, unsurprisingly, nude. The nude statue has been part of mainstream culture for as long as there have been statues. But every now and then the established mainstream is attacked not because established art has changed but rather because existing norms have shifted over time.
This morning the early visitors to the Vigeland Park could see that all the genitalia and nipples of the statues in the park had been covered with black paper strips. The resistor left a message explaining the action:
“There is too much nudity in newspapers and magazines, so here on the bridge the limit has been reached!”
Reported by VG (Norwegian Daily) and Art Threat (Political Art Journal)
This is an interesting protest which probably achieves more publicity by attacking the established park statues rather than attempting to go for mainstream media.