Visual artist Fabián Cháirez has called for a protest on Friday, the day his controversial exhibition “The Coming of the Lord” was scheduled to close in Mexico City, following its suspension by a federal judge in response to complaints from Catholics and other Christians.
“See you this Friday,” Cháirez announced on social media, sharing an image that read “Peaceful Demonstration Against Censorship.”
The protest is set for 5 p.m. outside the exhibit’s venue, the Academia de San Carlos in downtown Mexico City. The 244-year-old academy, formerly also known as the National School of Fine Arts, is affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and Design, which is part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Having opened to much fanfare Feb. 5, the exhibit features nine large-scale oil paintings that combine iconic religious themes with sexual imagery and eroticism. One painting depicts two males in cardinal attire licking a lit Paschal candle, while another shows two nuns in an intimate pose.
With only four days to go until closing, the show was suspended after the Association of Christian Lawyers (AAC) filed a complaint — reportedly signed digitally by 9,000 people — with the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred), alleging that the exhibit was offensive and violated the constitutional religious rights.
A federal judge then granted a provisional injunction that ordered the closure, within 24 hours, of the exhibit until the issue is legally resolved. That was followed by a statement from the San Carlos Academy and UNAM’s Faculty of Arts and Design noting that they had complied.
Another hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, when it will be determined whether a definitive suspension will be granted.
Cháirez, 37, denounced the closure as censorship and argued that his right to freedom of expression was being violated.
“The censorship imposed on my work is an act of intolerance that denies the possibility of debate and of finding new ways of interpreting our relationship with the divine,” he said in a statement. “Fear or dogma cannot be allowed to dictate the limits of art.”
His statement also claimed that he had not been notified of the amparo trial, a constitutional legal proceeding designed to protect individual rights and freedoms.
“While it is true that [UNAM] acts as the responsible authority, it is also true that as the creator of said work, I should have been called to the amparo trial,” he wrote, “in order to give my defense and not see my human right to freedom of expression affected.”
He also accused UNAM and the Faculty of Arts and Design for demonstrating “a lack of interest in instilling in the next generation of artists the defense of their work and freedom of expression.”
Several LGBTQ+ rights organizations, including GayLatino and Altarte AC, have expressed support for both the artist and Friday’s protest — which some are saying might set the stage for a larger debate on the boundaries of art and religious respect in Mexican society.
GayLatino condemned the censorship, stating it was “an attempt to erase the voices that make plurality visible and to perpetuate a status quo that denies rights to populations of sexual and gender diversity.”
The Christian lawyers group defended the suspension, arguing that “freedom of expression is limited by the requirement” to not infringe upon or disrespect the religious beliefs, symbols and dignity of Catholics.
This is not the first time Cháirez’s work has stirred controversy. In 2019, his painting “La Revolución,” depicting a nude Emiliano Zapata wearing high heels and a pink sombrero, sparked protests when displayed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Zapata’s descendants threatened legal action, while LGBTQ+ supporters rallied in the artist’s defense.
And recently, “The Coming of the Lord” — “La Venida del Señor” in Spanish — was symbolically shut down when Catholic protesters entered the gallery on Feb. 19 and made a human barricade in front of what they deemed “offensive images.”
Cháirez has remained defiant, stating, “Today it is my work that is censored, but tomorrow it could be any other artistic manifestation that challenges established thinking.”
With reports from El Universal, Animal Político and TV Azteca
