The Chilean born Marco Evaristti will have to stand trial in Iceland over a 2015 artwork which involved pouring red dye into the geyser Strokkur in South Iceland. The Copenhagen based artist poured red fruit dye into the geyser, thus colouring its eruption a bright pink. While Evaristti has maintained the dye was non-toxic and environmentally safe, the act aroused intense anger in Iceland. The local news site visir.is reports that today the public prosecutor has filed criminal charges against Evaristti for the act.
Evaristti performed his installation on 24 April 2015, pouring red dye into the geyser. The artwork, which is part of his series “Pink State” where Evaristti turns parts of the landscape into pieces of art, was intended to spark a discussion about how we treat nature. While some Icelanders thought the work was justified, especially since it did not leave permanent mark on the site, others were outraged.
