Artist Erects Fake Burger King to Serve Homeless

Artist Jani Leinonen — whose work has often incorporated the iconography of packaged foods or comments on modern consumerism — has unveiled his latest project, an on-site installation in Budapest, Hungary. According to a EuroNews report, Leinonen's piece Hunger King, which borrows the familiar logo from fast-food giant Burger King, provides a commentary on "how the country treats its homeless." Although Hungary made it illegal for the homeless to camp or loiter outdoors, Leinonen notes that it's perfectly legal for others to queue up — sometimes overnight — waiting for some kind of consumer product (ie, whatever Budapest's version of the Cronut might be).

To drive that point home, the lines outside Hunger King are separated into sections, for "Rich" and "Poor," and the first 50 people in the "Poor" line receive a Hunger King burger box containing 11 Euros, roughly the daily minimum wage. (The site doesn't serve any food, but other parts of the installation include Coca-Cola cups emblazoned with the world "Capitalism" in lieu of the Coke logo.) The installation also has an accompanying web site that tracks what the local government "serves" to its rich and poor citizens. Below, the new video:

Video: Finnish Artist Serves Up Free Money in Hungarian Capital

· Finnish Artist Serves Up Free Money in Hungarian Capital [YouTube via AnimalNewYork]
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