The Siberian Cat art object, which was placed in the city center in Barnaul, was dismantled upon complaints from the citizens. The author of the installation, sculptor Nikola Pitersky, told socialbites.ca that the “breast sculpture” stood on Lenin Avenue for only 5 hours. According to him, the placement of the art object was agreed with the representatives of the city administration, but then the sculpture was considered “barren”.
“I understood that the sculpture would be uncertain, that there would be different reactions. I thought of closing it in a nightclub. However, the last people in the Ministry of Culture did not give verbal confirmation that the cat is cool, we liked it, we installed it. First of all, people responsible for tourism also supported. It’s been five hours since it was installed. There were people who believed that the statue had somehow passed by, that it was cruel. They started pulling different levers: “How dare you? You would have attached a member to him.” Although the cat has a gender difference: I made an inverted heart, and the cat does not reach for it, it reaches for the navel. So the question is not so overtly provocative. “It’s not us,” said all the people who initially supported this effort. Some even said they didn’t allow it,” he said.
According to Nikola Pitersky, after the installation of the statue, many negative comments appeared on social networks. However, after the Siberian Cat was dismantled, people began to want to return it and even offered to purchase the art object.
“Everyone is starting to scold the management and the ‘stranglers’ who oppose this cat very harshly. Only two hours had passed since the cat was removed. The entire internet is exploding in support of this cat, with people writing: “How much can you take? How can you get it? Where can you put it?” Generally, the cat does not leave anyone indifferent by dividing the audience. We have no desire to argue with the mayor, act provocatively or rebelliously, oppose sections of society. But the cat shows the abscesses of the society, becomes more resentful and begins to react harshly: both in the case we put it on and in the case we take it off,” he said.
The artist noted that he hopes to leave the “Siberian cat” in his hometown and is already looking for a new place for him.
“For now we will try to leave the cat in the city of Barnaul, where it spawned. There are like-minded people who want him to be here in Siberia and not in another city. Although there are offers from ski resorts: Manzherok, Sheregesh. We’re looking at a few places. One location — bar-restaurant “Roof”, terrace. It is visited by young people, so there will be a few negative comments that are calmer for our life. But this is a completely different medium. Fewer people will see it, including children who love the cat and don’t see any rudeness in it,” Pitersky concluded.
Previously, an art object called “Siberian Cat” was placed on Leni Avenue in Barnaul. The statue depicts a cat in sunglasses and felt boots, sitting in a chair with its paw raised and above it, “Siberian cats are March every month!” Author Nikola Pitersky described the installation as a “breast sculpture” and said that it does not carry a semantic load and is only aimed at raising the mood of the townspeople.
Later, the Oktyabrsky district administration received complaints from the residents of the city, and the artwork was dismantled on the day of installation.