Czech sculptor David Cerny makes his point about the government
Artist says he is horrified at the prospect of the Communists returning to power
Czech visual artist David Cerny,top, makes final touches to his installation piece placed on a floating platform in the Vltava River on Oct. 21, 2013. The finger – a ‘scream of alarm’ against the state of politics in the Czech Republic and endemic corruption – ‘speaks for itself,’ Cerny saysDAVID W. CERNY/Reuters
Workers anchor a boat bearing Cerny’s sculpture in front of the Prague Castle, the seat of Czech President Milos Zeman, former leftist prime minister whom Cerny accuses of becoming intoxicated with power.DAVID W. CERNY/Reuters
Cerny says the sculpture, which he gave an unprintable title, was also aimed at the country’s Communist Party, which could gain a share of power in the coming elections for the first time since the revolution that overthrew communism more than two decades ago.DAVID W. CERNY/Reuters
The sculpture is part of a Czech tradition of cultural rebellion dating to communist times, when artists, writers and musicians like the Plastic People of the Universe used subversive lyrics or gestures to revolt against authority.Petr David Josek/The Associated Press