College student slammed after unveiling ‘incredibly wasteful’ art project: ‘A massive slap in the face’

A college student is facing backlash over his allegedly “insensitive” art project.

Rafael Perez Evans, a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) student at Goldsmiths, University of London, unveiled his controversial exhibition on Sept. 29.

The art installation, which was designed as his M.F.A. final project, basically involved dumping hundreds of thousands of carrots into the street. Evans, who is 29, left 240,000 carrots (about 62,000 pounds worth) outside of his college, according to Hypebeast.

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Evans has stated on his website that the project was, in part, a reference to the practice of “dumping,” a form of protest that European farmers have used to boycott price drops. In some cases, Evans told Artnet, prices can get so low that it actually costs farmers money to get rid of their produce.

“In the city, we are not very connected to the processes of how the things we consume are produced, under which circumstances and conditions,” Evans added.

Not everyone felt his message was worthwhile, though. Several of Evans’ classmates have spoken out against the installation, calling it “incredibly wasteful.”

As Hypebeast reported, four Goldsmiths students even created an Instagram account, goldsmithscarrots, to protest the project. The group has been working to collect, peel and cook as many of Evans’ carrots as it can — all for a good cause.

So far, goldsmithscarrots has raised more than £1,600 (nearly $2,100). Proceeds from the carrot-themed recipes have been going straight toward local food banks, which the students argue are in great need.

“Lewisham [the borough where Goldsmiths is located] is one of the poorest boroughs in London and this mass dumping of carrots at Goldsmiths is beyond insensitive,” the group wrote on Instagram. “It’s a massive slap in the face.”

Evans, meanwhile, has held that the carrots were all “unwanted.” He wrote on his website that they will be “collected and sent to feed animals” after the exhibition.

The students behind goldsmithscarrots aren’t waiting for that moment. The group has continued collecting Evans’ vegetables, turning them into soup, muffins and of course, mini carrot cakes.

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