Snow White and the Madness of Truth

Medium: Photography

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Artist: Dror Feiler

Confronting Bodies: Israeli Ambassador to Sweden, Zvi Mazel

Dates of Action: January, 2004

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Description of Artwork: The photograph, Snow White and the Madness of Truth, contains a photo of a Palestinian suicide bomber, notorious for an attack on a restaurant that killed 21 Israelis, on a sailboat floating in a sea of red liquid. The photo was part of an exhibit called Making Differences; its purpose is to raise awareness of an upcoming anti-genocide conference hosted by Sweden.

The Incident: When ambassador Zvi Mazel saw the photo in Stockholm's Museum of Antiquities, he disconnected a spotlight and threw it at the image. Mazel has suggested that he "couldn't have reacted in any other way," and that the piece was "a call for genocide."

Results of Incident: Mazel was asked to leave the museum. Since the incident, the directors of the museum have been bombarded with offensive and threatening e-mail; many artists and Swedish officials have denounced the ambassador's actions as contrary to free expression; and Mazel has confirmed that the Israeli embassy will leave Stockholm.

Source: BBC News