Even though Poland’s anti-gay prez recently died, a majority of Poles still oppose gay marriage, adoption, protests, and PDA. The director of the National Museum in Warsaw wants to change that. His museum’s hosting a 3-month homoerotic art exhibit. The show has already gotten political criticism and demonstration threats even though it doesn’t open until tomorrow. In fact, the curator has said “I am not certain what will happen when the exhibition opens.” Flames, meet gasoline.
The show is called Ars Homo Erotic and will feature male nudes and same-sex couples depicted in ancient sculpture, contemporary painting, and photography. And while all of the works won’t be as blatantly gay as Blue Noses, An Epoch of Clemency (above), the nation’s largest museum is still sure to provoke anti-gay citizens with such works.
Protestors could feasibly destroy artwork or use intimidation to reduce patronage, but it will be more interesting to see if the director is right in his hope that a little acrylic and canvas can change minds.
Jon Jon
Don’t tell me these are the same Polish Catholics that think priests diddling little boys is just fine and dandy….are at best, shouldn’t be discussed. Truism: The more religious a country, the more douchenozzles in it.
Henry Holland
majority of Pollacks
Which Pollack, Sydney? Henry? Neal?
Would it kill you Queerty people to proofread your posts, especially when you’re going to use a slur against people? It’s polak.
Daniel
@Henry Holland: Oh man, this may sound ignorant as hell, but I had no idea that Pollack was a slur. I’m totally editing it out the post right now. Thanks for the comment, Henry.
timothy
the exhibition opened today without any protests or incidents (no gasoline yet, sorry).
there were already reviews in all the most important polish newspapers and weekly magazines, with one conclusion from all of them: the biggest trouble of the museum, it’s new director and exhibition itself seems to be, that it’s chaotic and artistically average with only very few highlights. “Polityka” magazine lists rather works missing in this project, also the museum stuff is complaining, it was only skin-deep prepared.
anyway – it has been noticed in printed media, that’s a good start. as for protests – there were some cases around december-january, when the project was announced. probably – as a part of a whole – it’ll be protested in the middle of July again, around the EuroPride, which takes place in Warsaw this year.
Olga
Oh, i saw this work in Ukraine in our museum of modern art few years ago!
Edfu
As a Pole on both sides of my family–both sets of grandparents immigrated–and having been raised and educated in a Polish RC parochial school and church, I can guarantee that there is no nationality more homophobic (and anti-Semitic) than the Polish. Even the German Nazis don’t approach the hatred bred out of the Polish right-wing discrimination and Catholic inbreeding.