Russia's horrific attack on Ukraine inspired one British artist to experiment with a crap painting – and so, he created a highly symbolic portrait of Vladimir Putin using dog poo.
Titled "Poo-tin's a S**t", Dominic Murphy from Hertfordshire revived the concept of life imitating art with help from his pooch, Sybil and sold it for charity.
Murphy told Indy100: "I thought about going to help defend the people of Ukraine, but it didn't take me long to realise I would probably be more of a liability than a help.
"So instead, I painted out my anger.
"I thought about the most insulting thing I could paint, then my dog Sybil left me a message and an idea to use her poop as paint and to do Pooti's portrait," he humuored.
Murphy, known for his Alice in Wonderland scenes, said he had raised £800 for UNICEF so far. "I sold the original for £150 and the buyer sold it on the next day for £3000 (£1500 of which is going to Ukraine)", he said.
The artist described the incredible response as a "very weird little journey," adding " I'm totally bemused by it."
"I mean the idea is quite immature and childish," Murphy added. "But it's the inner child an artist should never lose."
"A bit crass perhaps but nevertheless I think my point is made."Dominic Murphy
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Luckily for the art buyers, Poo-tin doesn't actually smell. During the painting process, Murphy was sure to wear a mask and open the studio door. He "mixed the poo with mud and PVA glue, so you can't smell it."
This isn't the first time Brits have taken a crisis and turned it into a work of art. An Irish bar in Nottingham has since decorated urinals with the Russian leader's face, so drinkers can, well... relieve themselves.
In a post on Facebook last week, the bar wrote: "Vladimir Putin in the men's loo. Donald Trump has gone so come wee on this man."
To check out Dominic Murphy's "Poo-tin's a S**t" click here. A minimum of £20 per print will go directly to UNICEF.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered.
- To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here.
- To sign the petition click here.
- If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
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