Penis crucified on artwork opens debate on censorship in Latvia

The withdrawal of three pieces by ceramicist Sander Raudsepp from an exhibition at the Mark Rothko Arts Center in Latvia, for content deemed offensive, has triggered a debate about censorship in the country.

At issue is a series of ceramic sculptures entitled “Your Own Alternative Jesus” (“Your Own Alternative Jesus”, in Portuguese), by Estonian artist Sander Raudsepp, who creates various interpretations of the crucifix, including one in which a penis appears. in place of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The two remaining works removed from the exhibition in Daugavpils, the second largest Latvian city and the birthplace of plastic artist Mark Rothko, refer to a Jesus wielding two automatic weapons, one in each hand, and another with a bear sitting on top of a cross.

The commissioner of the Mark Rothko Arts Center, Aivars Baranovskis, told the Spanish news agency Efe that the pieces were taken down in mid-November, following a request from Daugavpils municipality officials.

If at first the episode was only publicized in the local media, in recent days there have been several manifestations of repudiation against the municipality, considering that it is at stake an act of censorship and violation of artistic freedom and expression – a position taken up by the Latvian Association of Museums and by the Minister of Culture of that country, Nauris Puntulis.

Puntulis, a member of the National Alliance (centre-right) party, told local media that contemporary art expressions tend to be challenging, provocative, not acceptable to everyone, and noted that the Mark Rothko center has carried out a explanation of the exhibition.

Aivars Baranovskis, on the other hand, stated that the museum, supported by the children of the artist Mark Rothko, supports exhibitions of provocative works of art, in the image of the spirit of the plastic artist that gives it its name, who was also a provocateur.

For their part, defenders of the removal of the works maintain that the municipality responded correctly to the complaints made by Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox clerics, who felt offended by the ceramic works, which they considered obscene and “blasphemous”.

In an interview with Efe, artist Sander Raudsepp said that it was the first time something similar had happened to him, stressing that art “is not just decoration”.

The Mark Rothko Arts Center is the first permanent installation of works by that artist in Eastern Europe, Reuters reported at the time of its opening in 2013.