Kenneth Glad
An unusual public installation drew attention shortly after appearing in a Danish city. The incident became the most immediate development in a wider project about contemporary influence.
A bust of Russian President Vladimir Putin was decapitated only hours after it was installed in the University Park in Aarhus, Denmark, as part of a nationwide project by public-service broadcaster RADIO IIII.
According to TV 2, the head was cut off and removed roughly six hours after the sculpture appeared. An Aarhus Municipality employee later found the remaining part of the work, including its pedestal, and returned it to the station.
RADIO IIII subsequently appealed for information about the missing head.
Five busts were installed
Putin was one of five prominent figures represented in the project. The others are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, entrepreneur Elon Musk, media personality and businesswoman Kim Kardashian and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, reflecting a mix of political, technological and cultural influence.
In a press release distributed through Mynewsdesk, RADIO IIII said the installations were created to encourage public debate about people who hold significant political, economic or cultural power and the ways that influence can shape society.
The station stressed that the sculptures were not intended as tributes or traditional monuments. Instead, it described them as a way of confronting the public with influential figures who may provoke disagreement, discomfort or difficult questions about power.
According to the radio station, anonymous artists created the busts, which measure just under two meters including their pedestals. The works were placed in publicly accessible locations so people could encounter them outside conventional gallery or museum settings.
The busts appeared in three cities
The Netanyahu sculpture was placed on Sønder Boulevard in Copenhagen, while Musk’s bust appeared at Sankt Hans Torv. Kardashian was positioned near Vor Frue Kirke, giving the capital three of the five installations.
Frederiksen’s bust was installed near Aalborg City Hall in her hometown of Aalborg, while Putin’s was placed in Universitetsparken in Aarhus before it was damaged only hours after being put on display.
The project is connected to RADIO IIII‘s podcast series Magtfuld, which examines influential figures from politics, technology and culture and looks at the different ways they shape public debate and society.
The series also covers people such as J.K. Rowling, Sam Altman, Mohammed bin Salman and Ursula von der Leyen, extending the project beyond the five figures represented by the public sculptures.
Sources: Mynewsdesk, TV 2
