The colorful cow on the roundabout between the Gondola with the Dr. Willem Dreesweg somewhere in Amstelveen the past few days have been covered with a gray-colored gunk. The artwork, an initiative of local residents, may have stood out because of the colored stripes: it was not a rainbow cow. It is therefore unclear whether the destruction is a statement against the LGBTIQ+ community. That does not alter the fact that the municipality is sick of it. “Hands Off Art!”
There is little cheerful left of the colorful artificial cow on the roundabout. A still unknown and now caked-on gunk covers almost all colors, only a trace of color is visible at the back of the animal. The polyester sculpture was placed seven years ago by the Waardhuizen-Middenhoven neighborhood platform and colored by painter Sergio Ferdini.
When the destruction took place and whether this is the same kind of statement as with the countless destroyed or stolen rainbow flags: that is still unknown. That doesn’t matter, if you ask Herbert Raat, alderman for art and culture of the municipality of Amstelveen.
Astonishing
“At first it’s just destruction,” he tells NH. “The artwork is a charming initiative from the neighborhood platform and it is there for all of us. Keep your hands off art. It doesn’t suit Amstelveen either, we respect each other here. I find it really amazing.”
Anyone wondering why the cow hasn’t been cleaned or at least moved for a long time: precisely because the statue was put up by the neighborhood, that is not the task of the municipality, according to the alderman. That does not alter the fact that they want to contribute to a solution, says Raat. “The municipality intends to contact the initiators of the artwork. If we can help, we will certainly not fail to do so.”
“It doesn’t suit Amstelveen either, we respect each other here. I find it really amazing”
The vandalism has not yet been reported to the police. A spokesman for the police says that they would like to urge the initiators of the cow to do so. “Report to the police or the community police officer, so that we know about it. If it happens more often, we can see what visible and invisible measures we can take,” she tells NH.
Should the destruction of the colored cow be a statement against the LGBTIQ+ community, then ‘we take that very seriously’, according to the spokesperson. “We hold this theme in high esteem.”