Artist accused of ‘fly-tipping’ in front garden under guise of ‘art’
An artist has been accused of “fly-tipping” on his front lawn under the guise of “art”.
Denis Carbonaro has filled his garden in Fife, Scotland, with shopping trolleys, prams, and other used items for an “artivist campaign” he has titled “Wows Don’t Grow on Trees, Garbage and Clutter Do”.
John Kirby, 61, whose mother lives next door to Mr Carbonaro, called it a “monstrosity”.
“He now has stuff scattered all across his garden. The back garden is an absolute mess,” said Mr Kirby.
He said Mr Carbonaro has “classed it as art – but in our view it is nothing more than fly-tipping”.
Mr Carbonaro has been using his garden to display artwork since 2015 and has previously installed a sculpture of a mammoth and a model of a Spanish galleon ship. But he grew frustrated at people viewing his work without making a donation and has created his latest display in protest.
He said that the used items were “symbolic representations to respond to the ongoing invasion of my privacy and the disregard for my copyright and intellectual property”.
Mr Kirby, who is trying to sell his mother’s home to pay for her care home fees, said the display was putting off prospective buyers.
“We need to sell mum’s house to pay for her care,” he said. “It has been on the market for a couple of months but only hasn’t sold due to the eyesore next door.
“Everyone who has viewed it has loved the house – but that has put them off moving.”
He said he had contacted the council but was told there is nothing it can do as Mr Carbonaro can “put what he wants in his front garden”.
He added: “They can not pin anything on him so this is just dragging on and on.
“We have had nine viewings – all of them like the house, the size of rooms etc – but are put off and won’t make an offer because of the eyesore next door.
“How can he be allowed to get away with this when it’s devaluing everyone else’s homes?”
Mr Carbonaro worked as a sculptor in Sicily before coming to Scotland around 25 years ago, where he worked in web design and IT for banks.
In response to the allegations, he said: “The clutter John refers to is, in fact, a creative statement against the exploitation I’ve experienced from neighbours and visitors alike, who have failed to offer support despite enjoying the installations.”