Artist who chained himself has to be freed after 19 days of trying to chisel himself loose

A Belgian artist who had chained himself to a block of marble for a performance was unable to free himself and had to be cut loose after 19 days.
Mikes Poppe's art installation was meant to show the 'burden of history from which artists cannot escape' but had intended to free himself by chiselling away at the marble.

Poppe attached himself to a 3.28 yard chain buried in the middle of a block of marble in the courthouse of the Belgian coastal city of Ostend.

According to Daily Mail,Poppe, who ate, slept, washed and drew while chained, worked to liberate himself by chiselling the away the stone towards the chain.
However, after a performance that lasted 438 hours Poppe had to be cut free.

'This block was symbolic of history, the history of art, which I am trying to free myself from.
'I discovered that this is not possible. It is burden which I must always carry,' he said.