Russia's culture minister Alexander Sokolov fancies himself an art critic.

The aesthetically-challenged politico announced that art duo Blue Nose's "An Epoch of Clemency" cannot be shown in a Parisian gallery's exhibition of Russian contemporary art.

If this exhibition appears [in Paris] it will bring shame on Russia. In this case, all of us will bear full responsibility. It is inadmissible…to take all this pornography, kissing policemen and erotic pictures to Paris.

One of the artists - Alexander Shaburov - compared Sokolov's ban to the iron fist of communist leader Nikita Khrushchev. Shaburov's also surprised Sokolov would take such a heavy international hand, especially since a Russian gallery showed "Epoch":

There was no scandal when it was shown here in Russia. The aim of our work is to take cliches and to make them as absurd as possible. We enjoy taking newspaper headlines and transforming them into something idiotic.

This brouhaha should provide plenty of inspiration, then.