Mexican artist Fabián Cháirez announced this Thursday that he will soon exhibit his controversial exhibition 'The Coming of the Lord' again in Mexico City, which was closed last week by a judge who granted an injunction to conservative groups alleging 'religious discrimination.' Cháirez confirmed in a phone interview with EFE that he is finalizing dates for the new exhibition and hopes to provide more details to the public next week.
The exhibition 'The Coming of the Lord' was open to the public since February 5 at the Academy of San Carlos of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), but it was closed on March 4 by a judge who granted an injunction to the Christian Lawyers Association for alleged damage to religious honor. However, on Tuesday the 11th, the same judge declared the suspension of the exhibition unjustified, as it had ended and no evidence was presented against it, according to Cháirez.
Regarding the attempts at censorship, Cháirez clarified that the injunctions presented by far-right groups only affected the exhibition at UNAM and would not prevent him from showing his work in other spaces. The artist emphasized that he has not been called to trial or notified by a judge to date. Additionally, Cháirez warned about the cooperation between conservative groups and the judge who granted the injunction, considering this fact alarming.
In relation to the aggression of some spectators at the exhibition, Cháirez pointed out that such acts speak of positions that horrify him, highlighting the need for unity among various social struggles to counter these ideological currents that can affect society as a whole. On the other hand, the author of the exhibition 'The Coming of the Lord' stated that he is not surprised by the controversy his work has generated and recalled the attempts at censorship he faced in the past with 'The Revolution' or 'Zapata in Heels.'
The exhibition 'The Coming of the Lord' consists of nine oil paintings on canvas, created between 2018 and 2023, in which controversial scenes can be appreciated, such as cardinals licking a candle, a nun passing a rosary with her mouth to an angel, and an acolyte kneeling in front of a bishop with a dove between his legs.
