Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
This Russian artist and sculptor has literally caused a stink by making his annual tribute to the New Year out of poo.
Every year the work of Mikhail Bopposov from Uolba village is made out of the same material, using manure, and then posted outside his home which is in the only inhabited locality and the administrative centre of Uolbinsky Rural Okrug of eastern Russia’s Sakha Republic.
This year he decided to follow his traditions and chose a rat as the rodent is the symbol for 2020 according to the Chinese Zodiac.
As with every year, the freezing temperatures in the region ensure that almost as soon as the material is put in place it is frozen hard, meaning that even people who stand on it will not make it crumble.
The sculptor began working on the composition of the manure rat in mid-December, and managed to complete it just before the deadline of the end of the year ready for its unveiling on 28th of December.
The rat is seen positioned sitting in an armchair, with a second chair empty and available for any visitors who wish to sit next to the rat.
The manure sculpture to welcome in the New Year attracted many online comments such as ‘taman14reg’ who wrote: “Doesn’t he understand that this way he is giving a ‘shitty’ image to the Republic?! Soon we’ll be associated with manure.”
Another netizen named ‘kekachu21’ wrote: “Why should he care about image? It’s important that the man likes what he is doing. People will always interpret things however they want.”
For the most part though despite the material used to build the sculpture most locals are approving of the self-taught sculptor’s unusual works which have now become a regular event.
In the past in similar tributes to the New Year which are often influenced by the Chinese Zodiac his sculptures included three pigs, a rooster, a two-metre (6.5-foot) snake, a horse harness, a dragon, a goat family and a palm tree with monkeys hanging on it.
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