Sawt Falasteen - Greek artist warns of fanaticism after art vandalised

"This violence is increasingly present in Europe and the United States, where ideas of purity, race or faith fuel nationalism," artist Christophoros Katsadiotis told AFP in an interview on May 29.

On March 10, four of Katsadiotis's artworks at Greece's National Gallery were thrown to the ground by two members of extreme-right Orthodox Christian party Niki -- one of them a party lawmaker -- who viewed them as "blasphemous".

Two months later, about 30 masked individuals attempted to assault him before an event in Thessaloniki, resulting in the 53-year-old engraver being put under police protection during public appearances.

Katsadiotis said the vandalisation incident at the National Gallery was "an attack on democracy... (and) our civilisation".

"If I need police protection, then freedom of expression no longer exists. It's a form of censorship," he told AFP on the sidelines of his new exhibition in Athens.

The art in question -- four engravings depicting Saint Christopher with a dog's head -- was part of a collective exhibition titled "The Allure of the Bizarre".

The two perpetrators, who smashed the glass protecting the engravings, were detained by police but later released.

Niki later expelled the lawmaker involved, Nikolaos Papadopoulos, from the party and the National Gallery has sued him.

- Outcry -

Katsadiotis is also planning to take legal action.

"I was surprised and upset. It was the first time this had happened to me," he said.

The incident at the National Gallery sparked an outcry and was condemned by the culture ministry.

But the Orthodox Church, which holds broad influence over politics and society in Greece, has publicly criticised parts of the exhibition involving Katsadiotis, who spends his time between Athens and Paris.

The Greek Church's governing body, the Holy Synod, voiced "regret" over "the content of certain works in this exhibition" and said it would "take action with the Greek government", without providing further details.

Katsadiotis is currently presenting a solo exhibition, including engravings and collages, at the Benaki Museum in Athens.

Security was reinforced around the building during the opening last week and police stationed three vehicles outside the entrance, he said.

Papadopoulos has continued to publicly condemn the artist's works as "a brutal insult" to sacred Orthodox icons.

At the National Gallery, Katsadiotis's engravings are now protected by a transparent panel and an alarm is triggered if visitors get too close.

- 'Dangerous for the public' -

The museum, which houses masterpieces of modern Greek and European art, has also increased protection overall due to "ongoing threats against the exhibited works and its staff".

"Initially, the idea was to leave the damaged works on the ground to illustrate... the violence," Katsadiotis said.

"(But) far-right sympathisers came to trample on them, which was dangerous for the public."

Niki, known for its nationalistic and homophobic rhetoric, has 10 MPs in the 300-seat Greek parliament.

This is not the first time it has sought to influence art policy.

In late 2023, the conservative government took down the work "Flag" by US-Greek artist Georgia Lale from the Greek consulate in New York following a complaint from the ultra-conservative party.

The artist had depicted a Greek flag with pink and red stripes instead of its official blue and white colours, to denounce feminicides in Greece.

"This decision left the field open for Niki to continue its attacks," said Katsadiotis.

He said there was a rise in militant vandalism and warned that "fanaticism" could spiral out of control, offering the example of the fatal attacks in Paris in 2015 after satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo republished caricatures of the prophet Mohammed from the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST