When does sand art become an advert for prostitution? Apparently when you model it on someone's derriere.
In what's shaping up to be a battle of the buttocks, a resident's association near Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach is taking aim at risque sand sculptures, which have become a staple tourist attraction in the area.
The artist, Ubiratan dos Santos, said he'd been moulding backsides out of sand for 23 years.
Cheeky sand sculptures on Copacabana beach are causing friction between the artist and those who say they're nothing more than an advert for prostitution.
"I've made women of all types - one day in a bikini, another in a skirt. To want to ban me shows a lack of respect for my work," he said.
But lawyer Horacia Magalhaes said the sexualisation of Copacabana was not what the area needed.
"We want Copacabana, the cradle of Bossa Nova music, to recover its charm, to become a residential and family neighbourhood again - and these sculptures do not help that," he said.
Not everyone in Brazil is happy to see sand sculptures of women's bums.
Even Deputy Mayor Bruno Ramos said the bums were "not good for the city's image".
Dos Santos said he wouldn't be deterred, saying he would stand guard at night to protect his scultpures.
As for the officials trying to stomp on his creations: "They'd be better off dealing with the city's real problems," he said.
Stuff.co.nz
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