Shit Fountain – Chicago, Illinois - Atlas Obscura

Shit Fountain

A giant bronze coil of feces is both a tribute to doggie defecation and a reminder to pick it up. 

971
2942

Some people post handmade signs to remind dog owners to be mindful of where their pets do their business but one Chicago artist decided to make his statement with a permanent bronze sculpture known quite simply as the, “Shit Fountain.”

Artist Jerzy S. Kenar installed the public poop as a winking tribute to all of the dogs in the neighborhood who are known to trample and defecate upon his flowers. The metal make sits atop a three-foot sandstone pedestal like a classical Grecian bust and slowly dribbles water into a shallow basin. While the piece may seem disgusting or in poor taste, but it has garnered almost no outcry from the community who seem to truly enjoy the whimsical statement. Technically the statue sits on Kenar’s private property so the city is not concerned either.

Surprisingly, Kenar is mainly known as a religious and political artist having designed a number of pieces of church architecture and public pieces such as a tribute to Black History Month. Unsurprisingly, the neighborhood dogs do not know about his larger artistic career, but they undoubtedly know his fountain.    

In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web