Ballsy

Radical Art Group Wins Russian Gov't Prize

For painting penis on drawbridge.

The radical art group Voina has been awarded a prestigious state-sponsored prize for drawing a 210-foot penis on a St. Petersburg drawbridge just before it was raised. The bridge is opposite the headquarters for the state security service. Most of the members on the seven-judge panel were against giving the Ministry of Culture's Innovation Prize to Voina, whose leaders are currently on trial for charges hooliganism that could bring a sentence of up to seven years. But three judges persuaded the others that ignoring the penis, which had already gained a wide audience online, would itself make a statement. “No one wanted to look like a conformist,” said Andrei Yerofeyev, one of Voina's advocates. Voina's other works include an orgy in the State Museum of Biology and an elaborate banguet on a moving subway car. “Those who voted for us are brave people,” said Oleg Vorotnikov, who was recently bailed out by Banksy after being held on hooliganism charges.