In a chapel in Linz

Attack on Pussy Riot sex doll artwork

Act of vandalism on the Marienkapelle in front of the OK Platz, where "Sex Dolls" were on display.(Bild: kunst-dokumentation.com)

Another act of vandalism: The artwork entitled "Sex Dolls" by Nadya Tolokonnikova (Pussy Riot), exhibited in the former Marienkapelle chapel on Linz's OK-Platz, was attacked by unknown perpetrators. Both the glass door and the glass floor of the exhibition space were smashed with a stone.

A glass door of the Marienkapelle, in which the sculpture "Sex Dolls" by Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova is exhibited, was smashed with a stone by unknown perpetrators on Linz's OK-Platz at the weekend.

The glass floor of the exhibition space was also smashed. According to the Landes-Kultur GmbH (OÖ LKG), charges have been filed against persons unknown. The chapel was deconsecrated more than ten years ago and has been an exhibition space of the OK Linz ever since.

"This is no coincidence"
The artist believes that the timing of the act of vandalism was not a coincidence, she says: "My Pussy Riot Sex Dolls installation was attacked in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin in the OK Linz Museum in Linz, Austria. The glass door of the chapel was smashed on the eve of Mary's conception - a symbolic date that cannot be ignored."

Fortunately, Tolokonnikova's work was not seriously damaged. The sculpture group is now temporarily on display on the first floor of the OK. It will return to its original location as soon as possible in consultation with the artist.

Detail from the smashed glass door(Bild: OÖ LKG)

Madonna was beheaded a few weeks ago
The fact that works of art trigger controversial discussions is entirely desirable, but when this turns into violence, it is highly problematic, says curator Michaela Seiser.

Just this July, Esther Strauß' sculpture "Crowning" in Linz's St. Mary's Cathedral, which depicts a Madonna giving birth, had its head chopped off in a brutal act of vandalism, as we reported.