Artist to daub graffiti on toilet walls at Birmingham's Ikon Gallery

Sep 18 2011 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

AN art gallery has been blasted for wasting taxpayer cash after signing up an artist to paint GRAFFITI on toilet walls.

Bulgarian Nedko Solakov will daub the lavatories at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham as part of a show due to be unveiled this week.

The Brindleyplace venue receives cash annually from the publicly funded Arts Council West Midlands and the city council.

But Robert Oxley, from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “There will be a lot of people questioning whether this is even art in the first place, let alone that the taxpayer should be paying for it.

“Birmingham City Council should concentrate on providing services local residents want, not paying someone to scrawl on toilet walls.

“Local residents will be really angry their money is being wasted in such an appalling way.”

But a spokeswoman for the gallery defended the exhibition and said the public would enjoy the unusual show.

“The inscriptions made in our toilets are amusing and wry, and we hope our visitors will enjoy them,’’ she said.