Vladimir Putin's statue in NYC shows him playing war games
What's the story
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been making headlines for quite some time, over declaring war and destroying Ukraine. However, recently, he has become nothing less than a subject of hilarity amongst kids in New York City, with his statue being installed in a playground. Here's everything that you need to know about the statue, its meaning, and its current state.
Putin the playmate
Putin's statue in NYC
A statue of Putin was recently spotted at a playground in Central Park, New York City. As per reports, the statue is a creation of French artist James Colomina. The blood-red sculpture shows the Russian president as a stubborn "manchild" sitting on a miniature military tank. Soon the spot became abuzz with kids, having fun around the statue.
James Colomina
The art and the artist
James Colomina took to Instagram to share photos of his creation. Explaining its symbolism, he said, "The sculpture aims at denouncing the absurdity of war and highlights children's courage when faced with violent, catastrophic situations triggered by others." The image shows a few kids aiming toy guns at the statue to spray water on it and even cover it with sand.
Not the first time
Similar statues in Spain and France
Interestingly, this isn't the first time a blood-red sculpture of Putin was erected. In July, a similar statue appeared in Barcelona, Spain. The statue was erected in Parque de Joan Miró by a street artist and looked identical to the "bloody Putin on a tank" of NYC. In fact, before this, another similar statue was installed in Luxembourg Garden in Paris.
Protest against war
Statue and the war
This recent sculpture in NYC comes five months into the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In contrast to other statues popping in protest of the war, Colomina's artwork is pretty much recognizable owing to its bloody red color. Earlier this year, a Toulouse-based artist called "Le petit migrant" erected a statue of a dead child with a boat on his stomach at the Eiffel Tower.
News and the views
Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine war
On February 24, Putin announced a "special military operation" and "effectively declared war on Ukraine." Cut to five months later, Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom confirmed recently that Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, has been damaged severely. Russia has blamed Ukraine for shelling the plant. Taking to Facebook, the Ukraine military said that Russian shelling was recorded in multiple towns.