14 DAY TRIAL // Russian President Vladimir Putin very much enjoys being in the limelight. Just as long as all the attention makes him look good, that is.
This statue that morphs him into beloved “Harry Potter” character Dobby the house elf, on the other hand, probably isn't to his liking. Not in the slightest.
The statue actually exists
Rather than some elaborate hoax, the brainchild of somebody with excellent Photoshop skills, these pictures of the Putin-turned-Dobby statue are real. Yup, this makes the art project real too.
The statue is understood to be the work of two political artists in Ukraine, who unveiled it to the world this past Monday, HuffPost informs.
The two artists, whose names remain a mystery, displayed the statue in Heroes' Square in the city of Luhansk in Ukraine. Since they didn't have a permit, they were forced to move it shortly after.
Nonetheless, reports say the statue is still on display, albeit in some other location. After all, there's no censoring art, is there?
The statue, clearly a political statement, appears to show Putin/Dobby sobbing over a lifeless bullfinch.
Word has it the dead bird was included in the work of art to poke fun at rumors about how children at a school in Ukraine killed such a bird simply because its plumage reminded them of the Russian flag.
Putin and Dobby share a history
Back in 2003, stories about how Russia was planning to sue Warner Brothers on account of Dobby bearing a striking resemblance to Vladimir Putin grabbed headlines.
Apparently, it's especially their wide foreheads and their dark, deep eyes that folks say make the Russian leader and the house elf look almost like brothers.
No such lawsuit ever came to happen - it would have surely been a blast if it did - yet, to this day, there are many who can't help but look at Dobby and see Putin. And vice versa, of course.
