A Swedish company got more than they bargained for after an artist drew a five-story blue penis on one of their residential buildings.
In Sweden’s capital city of Stockholm, there’s an area called Kingsholmen Island. Within that island there is a residential area and within that community there is now the painting of a giant blue penis.
Company Atrium Ljungberg, which owns the block, got a surprise on Wednesday morning when they woke up to the phallic painting on the side of one of their buildings. Since 2008, the company has allowed artists to come and paint murals on the walls of their buildings.
Usually, the artists have free range of what they can create and the paintings stay up for about six months before they walls are repainted. That said, a giant penis was too much of a surprise for the company and community.
“Culture and art are important in developing interesting urban environments,” Camilla Klimt, the company’s marketing manager, told the Aftonbladet. “Of course, we care about artistic freedom. But at the same time, we must respect neighbors’ opinions.”
Artist, Carolina Falkholt was unpleasantly surprised to see that the building residents and their neighbors were not fans of her work, which she says celebrates sexuality and body positivity.
The painting, which she titled “Fuck the World,” was actually a revisited idea. Back in December, she painted a similar erect penis, though that time pink, on a New York City apartment building to negative reviews. As Falkholt shared with Aftonbladet, she hoped that Stockholm would have been different.
“I think perhaps it will be allowed to remain here, people will get the message and let it take its place in the debate,” she said. “I think there’s more intellectual space to discuss the subject, in a nuanced way.”
Well, apparently not.