Last week, Marco Evaristti made the geyser Strokkur erupt in pink, and the general population of Iceland went nuts. Even though the food colouring he used had completely evaporated four hours after the offending act, the Chilean artist was subject to a barrage of hate from a veritable army of internet-connected Icelanders and Icelandophiles (sample comments: “You are not an artists, you’re just stupid criminal,” and: “Six words: Get the fuck out of here!!!”)
Interestingly enough, the Icelandic/Danish artist Ólafur Elíasson has gotten up to similar antics in the past—tainting various rivers and streams with food colouring in the name of art—without anyone telling him to go to hell. If success is measured in shame, Marco is a greater artist than Ólafur. And if fame is measured in hatred, Marco is surely Iceland’s most famous artist at present.
