In the article, we consider the monument "Children - victims of adult vices." This is a rather interesting sculptural composition, which definitely deserves our attention. You can find it on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow.
Acquaintance
The monument was created by Mikhail Shemyakin. The author tried to translate into reality the image of the struggle between good and evil. The sculptor created his composition in order to draw the attention of all those who care about how we exert influence on the present and future generations. It's never too late to start over.
Description
In the center of the sculptural composition "Children - Victims of Adult Vices" depicts a boy and a girl who are trying to move forward blindfolded. Under the feet of the kids are open books with fairy tales that have been read. Around them are surrounded by figures - the same vices. Pictured here are Drug Addiction, Theft, Ignorance, Alcoholism, Pseudoscience, Prostitution and Indifference. The last vice rises above the rest and is the most important. There is also Sadism, Exploitation of child labor, War, Shameful pillar for those who have lost their memory, Poverty and Advocacy of violence.
Interesting Facts
Mikhail Shemyakin worked on this composition by personal order of Yu. Luzhkov. The Moscow Mayor also took an active part in the process of creating the monument. The press wrote that during one of the meetings between the architect and the mayor, the latter vigorously jumped from his chair to personally demonstrate what the figure of Sadism should look like. As a result, this Luzhkov pose was reflected in the metal.
After the vandals attacked the sculpture, the city authorities decided to open the composition only at certain hours, enclose it with a fence and put the guard on. The grill rises at 9 in the morning and drops at 9 in the evening.
Criticism
The sculpture "Children - victims of adult vices" on Bolotnaya Square has been criticized many times. Most often these were statements of especially religious people. They do not like the vices depicted too accentuated. V. Ambramenkova - doctor of pedagogical sciences and a research associate of the Russian Academy of Education - believes that such a sculpture can negatively affect the children's psyche. She also focuses on the fact that this is more a monument to vices, rather than children.
Addiction and Prostitution
The description “Children - victims of adult vices” will begin with the figure of Addiction. The author of the composition showed this image in the form of Count Dracula, dressed in a tailcoat - such an angel of death. In his hands is a small bag of heroin and a syringe. Dracula offers at an affordable price how to "fly away" from the problems of this world.
Shemyakin depicts prostitution in the image of a toad, and in this sense there are some coincidences with the image of the frog princess. The creature has magnificent forms and a seductive body, but it is all covered with nasty warts, and snakes are visible on the belt. In a broader sense than just prostitution, this sculpture refers to the hypocrisy and complete immorality of a person who does not experience sincere feelings. One well-known blogger wrote that even the smallest manifestations of it should be understood as hypocrisy: criticism behind, falsehood, insincere smile.
Theft
In the sculpture “Children are victims of adult vices” in Moscow, theft is shown by the author in the form of an ugly and cunning pig, waving its nasty fingers, holding stolen money in her hand. Behind this creature are bank details and a bag, signed with the word "offshore." In modern life, this vice is manifested not only in the fact that people give and take bribes, but also in the fact that for many people the purpose of life is the accumulation of material wealth, and luxurious things begin to mean more than human feelings. A little child interprets all this in his own way, sees the picture in a different light, and therefore takes the false picture of the world as real.
Alcoholism, Ignorance, Pseudoscience
In the monument “Children - victims of adult vices”, alcoholism is portrayed as a merry mythical god who sits on a barrel with a smug expression on his face. This is an ugly old man with a big belly and a second chin.
Ignorance is shown in the image of a carefree stupid donkey who holds a watch in one hand and a rattle in the other. This is an allegorical image of the fact that fun is given all the time, not an hour.
The image of Pseudoscience is convicted in a monastic cassock. He holds in his hands a scroll with supposedly useful knowledge, but the creature’s eyes are closed and it does not know what it’s doing. The point is that some knowledge harms humanity as a whole. This is the production of dangerous weapons, and genetic engineering, and an attempt to clone people, etc. To emphasize this, next to the figure is a mutated dog with two heads, which Lzhenauka directs as a puppet. To show the horror of pseudoscience, Mikhail Shemyakin suggests recalling a story that happened in America. Popular soothing medicines, advertisements of which were at every turn, served as a reason for women to have babies without arms and legs.
War and Poverty
This image is very similar to the droid from Star Wars. Represents the angel of death. The image of war appears in the form of a hawk on which a gas mask is worn. He himself is in armor, and in his hands is a bomb sewn into Mickey Mouse. Without a twinge of conscience, he offers it to children.
In the monument “Children - Victims of Adult Vices”, the image of Poverty is presented in the form of an old woman who stands, leaning on a staff. She is barefoot and very skinny. Despite the almost complete impotence, she reaches out for alms. There was a debate between people over whether poverty could be considered a vice. Someone recalled the play of Ostrovsky, and someone the words of Dostoevsky. The point is that you can live in poverty. You can save your dignity, not the name of an extra piece of bread. But in poverty, everyone is equal, and one cannot remain special here. But the one through whose fault others become paupers clearly deserves condemnation.
Exploitation of child labor, unconsciousness and sadism
The architect presented the exploitation of child labor in the form of a bird with a huge beak. She invites the watchers to follow her to the factory, where on each wall are prints of children's hands. In a simpler sense, poor childhood is understood, routine at the most beautiful time in life, the manipulation of a sense of duty.
The unconsciousness is depicted as a shameful pillar on which snakes crawl. This means complete insensitivity to what happened in the past, to memory, respect. The insensitive pillar was enveloped by snakes, consciousness is fogged.
Sadism is shown in the image of a terrible rhinoceros, which looks at a man with open arms. Not sensitive to the pain and feelings of other people, he supports his huge sagging belly with a rope. In an allegorical sense, the desire of adults to show their power over children, to teach them on their own convictions, even false ones, is transmitted here. Many tend to dominate and suppress children, thus splashing out their complexes.
The propaganda of violence is portrayed in the form of Pinocchio, which offers a lot of means to do harm. By the way, today the propaganda of violence is most manifested in games, cartoons and children's films.
Above all these monsters rises the main of them - Indifference. This is the worst of vices, because everyone else flows from it. This is a creature with an insensitive body, eyes closed and ears closed. It is insensibility and unwillingness to understand the other that are the root of many ills. The monument "Children - victims of adult vices" carries the message that if, by committing evil, a person changes their minds for at least 10 minutes, many sad events could be avoided. After all, we all know how to “turn off” our inner voice and silently do what you need, even if it can harm someone else.