Denmark: New 'Muhammad cartoon'

Denmark: New 'Muhammad cartoon'

The Grenaa City Hall decided to remove a painting down from their Easter exhibition after complaints from visitors.

The painting's motif is a veiled woman and a pig looking at a picture of Kurt Westergaard with a bomb in his turban - exactly like in his own controversial caricature of Muhammed.



Mayor Jan Petersen (S) called it an administrative decision.

"But I agree with the decision, that we shouldn't have pictures hanging at city hall, which some people feel offends their religious feelings," he told P4 Østjylland.

Hans Christian Sørensen, a leisure artist, was very surprised by the city hall's decision to take the picture down. He says it's humorist and denies that the picture is a provocation.

"I think it's OK that Kurt Westergaard drew Mohammed, but it doesn't matter for my painting and if anybody should take offense by the subject matter, it should be Kurt Westergaard or the pig," he says.

Hans Christian Sørensen doesn't understand that City Hall say they've received complaints from visitors. He was at the exhibition for several days and he only got positive comments from the public. He says the picture is surreal and funny.

"Art should be original and not copy anything. We can all paint flowers, but people see so much of it. Art should be debated, that the point of it. That's the difference between art and decoration," he says.


Source: Kristeligt Dagblad (Danish)

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