After being invited to exhibit in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro, to carry out the exhibition of a series of works related to the pride of exhibiting nationality. the artist Iris México is censored by Filemón Primitivo Arcos, of the Culture Commission. This causes coverage in the main mass media in Mexico. Below we share what was published in Crónica (Chronicle), National section. Iris México embraces the constitutional right to free expression and invites censors to professionalize themselves in contemporary art before giving their opinion from their reptilian brain. We appreciate it if you give us your opinion in the comments.
IRREVERENT EXHIBITION OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE IN SAN LÁZARO
Anniversary of the National Anthem
The artist Iris México intended to expose a flag with embroidered plastic lips in the center that covered the National Shield.
José Alejandro Sánchez
The plastic artist Iris México, with the support of the PRD, managed to exhibit her pictorial exhibition “Pasión” in the Chamber of Deputies, but hours before the inauguration her exhibited works were not included in the photographic gallery presented on the day of the request. For this reason, the Culture Commission ordered to suspend the premiere an hour and a half before, within the framework of the 150th anniversary of the National Anthem.
A Mexican flag with plastic lips embroidered in the center that covers the national emblem, another placed on the ground with three soccer balls on top, one more cut into eight strips, a blanket with the bust of Fox and the legend «Nothing here happens», as well as a Virgin of Guadalupe with human hair and two nudes appeared at the last minute.
“The Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies does not allow or will allow being surprised. We simply conduct ourselves here with regulations and we are going to respect them. Besides, we defend legality and the law does not allow offenses against the national flag, ”said Filemón Arcos, president of the Commission.
Article 32 of the Constitution in its last paragraph says: «The individual will observe the respect that corresponds to the national sign and will take care in its handling and neatness.»
A year ago, Iris, who has dyed her hair and eyebrows purple, began the procedures for the exhibition through the PRD deputy Tomás Cruz Martínez, to whom she sent a letter and a photo gallery in which she did not include the controversial works either.
“I didn’t show them because they never asked me for them. Also, a year ago I still did not prepare them and today the exhibition was scheduled: the deputies violate our freedom of expression, ”the visual artist told Crónica.
The photographic gallery of application presented in October 2003 consisted of five works and the artist planned yesterday to exhibit 32.
Deputy Cruz Martínez acknowledged that Iris México displayed works of art made through digital design, photography, painting, drawing, and embroidery that were not announced since the night of June. But even so, he condemned that deputies from the PRI and PAN have canceled the exhibition.
“It is nothing that we have not seen already, we have even seen stronger things in other places. What we ask is that if there were six or seven works that transgressed the law, the artist would be notified in writing so that she can withdraw them and not be censored, «he said.
Inti Muñoz, the spokesman for the PRD faction, supported his faction partner and Iris México: «An attack against freedom of expression was committed,» he said.
And he even signed a letter that the artist improvised as a manifesto «Protect freedom and not national symbols» in defense of the artist.
In that text she explains that the work was a tribute to plastic artists such as Enrique Guzmán, Nahum Zenil, Huang Yong Ping, William Copley, Kate Milets, Manuel Ahumada, Rolando de la Rosa, who worked some of their works despite being exiled, censored or jailed.
«Human beings to express our beliefs, mood, imagination, criticism, art, we need to use symbols by all known with a new context or meaning, this does not mean treason, rather, it is often the result of passion for the homeland ”, she added.
The president of the Culture Commission, Filemón Arcos, said that the case is in the hands of the lawyers of the Chamber of Deputies to make an assessment.
* Sánchez José Alejandro. 2004, Septiembre. Prohiben exposición irreverente de la Virgen de Guadalupe en San Lázaro. Crónica. Nacional. México. Página 16. Fotografía por Luz Moreno.
Learn more about Iris México, and her activism for Freedom, Justice and Unity in book VIII. Aikya, available on Amazon Kindle.
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