Thursday, November 09, 2017

Italian Artist Charged With Criminal Blasphemy

The art blog Hyperallergic this week reports that in Italy, the anonymous artist known as Hogre was arrested and charged with publicly insulting religion in violation of Sec. 403 (Criminal Blasphemy) of Italy's Criminal Code.  According to the blog's report:
Hogre was one of two artists who, on June 1 of this year, placed satirical posters in bus stop advertising spaces in the Italian capital. Hogre’s poster “Ecce homo erectus” depicts Jesus with a conspicuous erection, resting one hand on the head of a praying, kneeling child. This was a response to sexual abuse charges against Cardinal Pell, the third highest-ranking Vatican official.
If convicted, the artist could face a fine of €1000 to €5000.  Hyperallergic's blog post includes a photo of the offending poster.