Chilean Denmark-based artist Marco Evaristti refused to pay a fine for pouring pink dye into erupting hot spring Strokkur in the Geysir geothermal area in South Iceland on Friday and left the country. His stunt has provoked anger among Icelanders, Vísir reports.
“What a lot of negativity, but in a positive way because it shows a concern, care and love for Nature. I never went to Iceland to damage, but it always makes me happy when my art opens the eyes and mind of its beholder. Please rest assure that the dye I used was harmless fruit color, and that Strokkur was back at its own normal self at 3 pm the same day, when the police visited,” Evaristti wrote in response to angry comments on his Facebook page.
“After having been interrogated yesterday [Saturday] the police gave me a fine for disturbing Strokkur but as I don’t believe my harmless, temporary intervention has caused any disturbance to the geysir, I believe we will be discussing this in court. Have a beautiful day – take care of your selves, your neighbours and Nature, regards Evaristti,” the artist concluded.
“This is not art, it’s vandalism,” Garðar Eiríksson, spokesperson for the landowners of the Geysir area, told mbl.is. “I regret that a visitor to our country would think of doing something like this and this way say thank you for his visit to Iceland. I have very few words to describe my disapproval.”
