Every disadvantage has its advantage: Whoever steals a sculpture from a public garden frees up space for a new work of art. Local residents of Utrecht's Willem de Zwijgerplantsoen looked at an empty plinth for a year because 'their' sculpture was 'Homo Ludens' had been stolen by bronze thieves. Since no one expected the sculpture to be returned, the municipality organised a competition for a replacement sculpture. The brief was: design a sculpture in line with its stolen predecessor.
On 26 August, two years after the theft, alderman Frits Lintmeijer unveiled the sculpture that the jury of local residents chose as the winner. That sculpture, titled 'Bitte nicht wieder klauen', by Kathrin Schlegel now adorns its plinth. A floating ball under a canvas.
At the time, it showed two men playing with a ball. Artist Jan Spiering used this to depict the 'Homo Ludens', man at play. Schlegel now makes visible the absence of the ball in the previous artwork. So the ball is there, but you can't see it. The old pedestal is also still there. The attachment points of the previous sculpture are in it, as a memento.
The jury praised the playfulness with which Schlegel fulfilled the commission. Moreover, the new sculpture is not made of bronze, but of heavy and cheap stainless steel. Perhaps this will help it respond to the call 'Bitte nicht wieder klauen'.
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