Berlin bears

There is an art exhibit in a Berlin square in which bears are decorated to represent each of the UN member countries. It is a fundraiser for something - I do not remember what.

The bear for Egypt is decorated like a pharaoh, the Bahamas´ has tropical fish, Ireland`s is a leprechaun and the American bear looks like The Statue of Liberty.

And then there is the Serbian bear.

While everything else is whimsical, the Serbian bear is has a few spots of blue paint and bullet holes. It is the only serious bear and my stomach dropped when I saw it. Other countries with violent history painted the bears with scenes of nature or in traditional costumes. Serbia was the only one that played up the violence.

It was a curious artistic choice, that I don´t think I agree with. Too many people already have the Serbia=war equation in their head. This exhibit didn´t seem like a good place to play up the stereotype.