Representatives for a gallery in Gateshead appeared in court yesterday charged with outraging public decency, after featuring a statue of Jesus with an erection.Read the story here.
The artwork was part of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art's September 2007-January 2008 exhibition Gone, Yet Still, by the controversial Chinese artist Terence Koh, which featured dozens of plaster figures including Mickey Mouse and ET - all in some state of arousal.
Lawyers for Emily Mapfuwa, a 40-year-old Christian who was offended by the artwork, launched a private prosecution against the gallery for outraging public decency and causing harassment, alarm and distress to the public. Mapfuwa, of Brentwood, Essex, argues the Baltic would not have dared depict the prophet Muhammad in such a way.
Two comments: (a) the Lord is really well-hung and (b) and of course the real question to the artist is: "Why not Muhammad?"
And the answer is easy: better to be sued and get some publicity than get whacked in the streets of your own hometown like what happened to Theo Van Gogh.
According to the Bible itself, Jesus was a human being. It ain't much of a stretch to say some tent pitching went on from time to time.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or is art being sued/censored more then usual lately? What the hec is going on?