GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As artists finish setting up for ArtPrize Nine and prepare for thousands to take in their work, a theme is popping up: several entries in the competition are politically charged.
Dennis Poterek is the artist behind a lifesize replica of Russian President Vladimir Putin sitting on a horse entitled Divided We’ll Fall, which you can find outside Kilwin’s Ice-Cream and Chocolates on Monroe Center across from Rosa Parks Circle.
It’s a perfect example of some of the bold messages artists are conveying. Standing at roughly seven feet, it is made out of masking tape and paper towels. It mimics an original picture Putin took shirtless atop a horse, but has one striking difference:
“He is clutching an American eagle, symbol of our liberty,” Poterek pointed out. “And it has to do with Vladimir Putin’s use of propaganda to divide our country.”
Poterek said he created the work to get people talking.
Full story: WOOD TV