An art exhibition by painter George Gavriel in Paphos was cancelled today, a day after its opening, following public outcry over its content, which critics claim it is blasphemous.
The cancellation, announced by the gallery, has immediately drawn counter-accusations of censorship from the artistic community.
The exhibition, titled “Antisystemic Art,” featured paintings that triggered a wave of hostile comments and formal complaints from political parties.
The works include depictions of figures rendered in the style of Orthodox icons—including Christ and the Virgin Mary—placed within explicit secular, contemporary, and sexually suggestive contexts. The artist has previously faced disciplinary action from the Ministry of Education, and public scrutiny for works that critics deemed offensive to religious and state institutions.
Political figures condemn ‘crude blasphemy’
The political parties DISY and ELAM publicly accused the works of being an attack on the religious conscience of the public.
- DISY Deputy President Efthimios Diplaros called the paintings “crude blasphemy, not art,” adding that the invocation of “freedom of expression” was merely a “cheap alibi for insulting the religious conscience of millions of believers.”
- DISY President Annita Demetriou condemned the “works of art” that brutally insult the faith, stating that “The freedom of expression cannot be an alibi for obscenity.”
- The far-right party ELAM called for legal action, demanding an end to what spokesman Marios Pelekanos described as a direct attack on faith and ideals.
Creative community decries censorship
In direct opposition to the political demands, members of the artistic and creative community in Cyprus have spoken out against the call to cancel the exhibition, framing the intense backlash as an act of censorship and an unacceptable attempt to police artistic expression. They argue that the right to freedom of speech, even if controversial, is a fundamental human right necessary for critical discourse.
Gallery issues apology
Confirming the cancellation, the Blue Iris Gallery stated that it made the decision after recognising that the exhibition had “provoked opposition from a section of society.”
“In no case was there any intention on the part of the Blue Iris Gallery to offend or show disrespect towards our religion… [the gallery] does not wish to become a channel for further unrest,” the statement read.
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