Greek art world in uproar over raid on 'indecent' art exhibit
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 5, 2007 | 12:37 PM ET
CBC Arts
Greek artists, intellectuals and media are protesting a police raid and closure of an art exhibit authorities deemed "indecent" in Athens last weekend.
Police said they were tipped off that offensive material was being displayed at the Art Athina show in central Athens, which led to the raid on Saturday.
Featuring work by more than 70 artists and organized under the auspices of the Greek Cultural Ministry, the 13th edition of the Art Athina exhibit included an installation by artist Eva Stefani in which viewers could peer through a peephole and see footage of Greek pornography from the 1960s and 1970s, set to a soundtrack that includes the Greek national anthem.
Clearly marked signs around Stefani's installation gave notice that it was not suitable for those under the age of 18.
On Saturday, police confiscated the video, arrested the exhibit's curator, Michalis Argyros, and charged him with offending public morals. Stefani was also charged with offending public morals, but was in Germany at the time. If convicted, they could face a maximum sentence of 10 months in jail.
"I find it unacceptable that a work of art is violently removed from an exhibition,” Stefani, a filmmaker and lecturer at the University of Athens, told the Eleftherotypia newspaper.
Dozens of artists staged a counter-exhibit on Monday, in protest of the weekend action, while Greek newspaper editorials also deplored the raid.
Greek Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis said in a statement Monday that while the artwork in question is not to his liking, he disagreed with censoring art.
"The specific artwork does not agree with my esthetics or principles," Voulgarakis said. "Artists are free to create and citizens have a right to reject or not whatever they believe offends our national symbols."
