An artist who created an ‘eyesore’ in protest at people not appreciating his work has infuriated neighbours by expanding the sculpture – with a display of pants.
Denis Carbonaro is refusing to remove the latest sculpture outside his home and pledged to ‘intensify’ his efforts – that has been dubbed nothing more than ‘flytipping.’
He has piled high items such as dumped shopping trolleys and prams, as a protest under the guise of ‘modern art.’ The work – dubbed a ‘monstrosity’ by neighbours in Dalgerty Bay, Fife, who say it has stopped them being able to sell their homes – has prompted a 1,200 strong petition calling for action to be taken.
But John Kirby, who couldn’t sell his now late mother’s home to pay for her care fees as a result, said his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. John, 61, said instead of taking action to mitigate the impact, Denis had doubled down and kept adding new items to it – some in the form of a ‘dirty protest’.
He said: “He just keeps adding more stuff. There is now a microwave, and a washing line going from the house to the tree – with underwear hung up on it. It is disgusting to have to see that. I don’t get him. I know he is angry that he feels people haven’t appreciated his work. I was actually a big fan just at the start. It had the wow factor and I liked the art. I thought it was a bit different. But since he’s gone on strike he’s created nothing more than an eyesore.”
Denis argued his latest work at the ‘tourist attraction’ The Bark Park was a protest against people viewing his art projects without leaving a donation.
He described it as an ‘artivist campaign’ titled “Wows Don’t Grow on Trees, Garbage and Clutter Do” and says he has used items like trolleys and prams as “symbolic representations to respond to the ongoing invasion of my privacy and the disregard for my copyright and intellectual property.”
Previously he had displayed a wooly mammoth, a Spanish galleon up a tree, a spider and a shrine during Covid. John said he had tried to get Fife Council to take action but been told as it was not a public health hazard there was nothing that could currently be done.
He added: “Every day I go round and there is more and more rubbish. I do understand where he is coming from. But having it in his front garden is bringing down everyone’s property prices and meant I could not sell mum’s house.
“She died a few weeks ago so we’ve had to take it off the market until the will is sorted. But there is no point re-listing it until the eyesore is gone. That is two house sales now been scuppered. It is making the whole bay look awful. It’s material waste and not vermin so there doesn’t seem anything anyone can do. We’ve got 1200 people now signed the petition but it feels like it won’t make a lot of difference at the moment.
“The house has been taken off the market for now since mum passed away. People were not even going in to view the house. They would make a booking, drive up and see the state of the garden and not bother going inside.”
John said the garden artwork began with sculptures in 2015 and started with a mammoth in the front garden. This progressed with a spider being built in the back of the house followed by a Spanish galleon up a tree. During Covid he said Denis also created a shrine but shortly afterwards ‘went on strike’. He said what was once a popular attraction descended into an “absolute mess.”
He added: “He now has stuff scattered all across his garden. The back garden is an absolute mess. In a matter of days he had dismantled everything and dumped shopping trolleys, prams, bread bins and other random items. He classed it as art – but in our view it is nothing more than fly-tipping.”
John’s mum and Denis’ neighbour, Doreen Mary Moore, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in October 2021 and passed away last month aged 86. She had been in a care home since March 2023 with the home put on the market for just under £160k to pay her fees. Since her death, John said the house has been pulled from sale and said he would only re-list when the ‘sculpture was gone.’
He added: “How can you be allowed to put rubbish in the front garden and class it as art and bring down the whole street? The mammoth was fantastic, the spider and ship up the tree was great. But it is now just a dumping ground and he’s made no effort to tidy it up. It’s an absolute monstrosity.”
Denis said the original idea was to turn his home in Dalgerty Bay into a tourist attraction and a sculpture park and spoke out previously when he unveiled the galleon – complete with rigging and mast – made out of recycled wood.
He worked as a sculptor in Sicily before coming to Scotland around 25 years ago, where he worked in web design and IT for banks. But after suffering burn-out, he quit his job and returned to his love of art. Responding to the latest allegations, he said he was now covering up his work with ‘trash’ and warned this will intensify and continue.
He described his current actions as a ‘boycott‘ amd added: “I am intentionally hiding my “wows” under elements of trash and clutter to protect my privacy and repel the lack of respect for my four fundamental rights. This boycott, which you are aware of, will continue and intensify as I fight for recognition and respect.”
He earlier added: “As part of my long-standing campaign, “WOWS DON’T GROW ON TREES, GARBAGE AND CLUTTER DO!”, I have used items like trolleys and prams as symbolic representations to respond to the ongoing invasion of my privacy and the disregard for my copyright and intellectual property.
“Despite the significant local interest in my work, including visits from John and his friends, I have not received the necessary financial support through the donation caskets I have set up. Why, after visitors repeatedly asked for a donation box during Bark Park’s first few months, did they never contribute once it was created and available by December 2015? They had only requested the donation chest but did not support it once it was provided.
“Regarding the accusation of “flytipping,” I must emphasize that these items are part of a deliberate artivist campaign and hold significant meaning. Bark Park has been a local feature for over nine years, attracting visitors and admirers of my inventive works.
“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.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here.