The Belarusian said he was digging the holes as part of an ‘artistic act’
France has ordered a Belarusian artist who dug holes near the grave of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh to leave the country.
Alexei Kuzmich, 36, filmed a video of himself digging the holes around the famous painter’s grave in the Auvers-sur-Oise cemetery (Val-d’Oise, Île-de-France), and posted it on social media. He said he was digging the holes as part of an artistic act, and appeared in the video dressed in white, with white also on his face and beard.
However, Mr Kuzmich is now the subject of an ‘obligation de quitter le territoire français (OQTF) (obligation to leave French territory order)’, after it emerged that he is in France illegally, and had not applied for asylum.
Read also: What is a ‘leave France’ OQTF order?
Two days after he posted the video online, Mr Kuzmich was summoned before a court in Pontoise, and received a suspended prison sentence of one month, plus a €3,000 fine.
“He was clearly in France illegally,” the prefecture told AFP. “An OQTF was issued and he was placed in detention [with a view to deportation].”
Vincent Van Gogh is buried in Val-d’Oise after having lived in the region for a few weeks before his death in 1890, at the age of just 37. He spent time in Paris earlier in his life, before spending more than a year living in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), the setting for many of his most famous works.
Read also: Exhibition showcasing Van Gogh’s last works opens in Paris
He was also later committed to a psychiatric institution in Saint-Rémy de Provence, after his mental health worsened significantly. He had moved to Auvers-sur-Oise in the hopes of living independently, but committed suicide just two months later, even as he became even more prolific in his work.
He is buried next to his brother and long-time letter correspondent and supporter, Theo.
Mr Kuzmich made headlines in France in 2021 after holding a fake Molotov cocktail in front of the Elysée Palace for which he received a warning.