Last week, a new sculpture “Taurus” was erected in Kaunas. The sculpture, which cost over 170,000 euros, has sparked a discussion about its artistic value and similarity to a project in Russia’s Krasnodar.
The “Taurus” was erected as part of the Highlights of Kaunas (Kauno akcentai) contest. The contest for sculptures, design objects, light installations, or street art to decorate the city’s public spaces has been running since 2017.
However, in November 2021, the Kaunas City Council decided to change the procedure of the contest. Until then, the contestants were evaluated by art critics and experts, but they were replaced by a “commission for urban, architectural, and investment issues”.
The new commission is made up of Kaunas Council members and administrative staff. It is chaired by Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis.
'Nothing to copy'
The sculpture of taurus with a cross on its head, a creature on Kaunas’ coat of arms, greets city residents and visitors at the end of Savanorių Avenue. Some were quick to point out that it resembles a sculpture which is about to be erected in Russia’s Krasnodar.
“As the world commemorates a year since the start of the war in Ukraine, [...] my beloved Kaunas has erected a Taurus, like a twin brother from Krasnodar,” Lithuanian Culture Minister wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
“If what I see on social networks is true, it is the most absurd thing that could ever happen. It’s like living in another reality, without any context, without any empathy,” he added.
The author of the Kaunas sculpture, Tadas Vosylius, said that comparing “Taurus” to the project in Krasnodar “makes him smile”.
"I don't know where you have to look to see the similarities. [...] I’m actually very surprised and it makes me smile. A bull and a taurus are different animals, in my opinion. The world is a big place, and there is more than one bull sculpture erected. I understand that there are people who have not seen much. I think the minister got worked up,” Vosylius told LRT.lt.
He also noted that the technique used to create the “Taurus” has been widely used in the world for some time now, so “there is nothing to copy”.
Some Kaunas residents also said that the sculpture is a kitsch of little artistic value.
“If we are talking about kitsch, pay attention to that project in Krasnodar. The eyes there is a real example of kitsch – the inability to stylise the form and naive imitation is kitsch. In my case, the form is stylised quite well, and the gloss is suitable for a big, multicultural city, especially on a busy street,” Vosylius said.
The sculptor said that with the “Taurus” he tried to stay close to the Kaunas heraldry and “create a symbol that is noble, proud, and self-confident”.
He rejected the criticism that the sculpture, which was erected just before the municipal elections, was part of a political campaign.
“It’s an election period, everybody is trying to find some wrongdoing. I don’t see anything here, everything happened naturally,” Vosylius said.
In his words, he was not ordered to create a sculpture of taurus. His idea and the mayor’s wish to have this symbol in Kaunas was “a coincidence”, the sculptor said.
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