Jesus Loves
Artist: Rosa von Praunheim
Year: 2023
Date of Action: July 2023
Region: Europe
Location: Hanover, Germany
Subject: Explicit Sexuality, Religion, Sexual/Gender Orientation
Medium: Painting, Public Art
Confronting Bodies: Eigidienkirche (Aegidien Church)
Description of Artwork: Gay artist Rosa von Praunheim exhibited images in a Nuremberg church which showed men in various degrees of undress, some in embrace or sexually suggestive poses.
The Incident: Following public criticism over the exhibit's display of nudity and homosexuality, the art was removed. This appears to have been religiously-motivated, since some felt housing such images inside a church was blasphemous. The regional bishop of Nuremberg, Elisabeth Hann von Weyhern, welcomed the decision to not display the exposition in a church anymore. The statement of the church read that it does "not do justice to the mission of the church."
Results of Incident: The exhibition will not take place again in the Egidenkirche. Instead, the artist's works are to be shown in the Kreisgalerie in Nuremberg. The artist also plans to show the exhibition only in galleries and no more churches.
Source:
• https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/germany-closed-an-exhibition-of-paintings-featuring-homosexual-sex-staged-in-the-church/,
• https://ground.news/article/queer-exhibition-on-love-and-sex-in-church-remains-closed,
• https://cne.news/article/3430-controversial-exposition-moves-from-nuremberg-church-to-art-gallery,
• https://newsrnd.com/news/2023-07-31-after-fierce-criticism--%22jesus-loves%22-exhibition-in-nuremberg-continues-%E2%80%93-but-no-longer-in-church.SyfFJIGrsn.html,
• https://kurier.at/kultur/kirche-liess-queere-praunheim-ausstellung-zu-liebe-und-sex-zusperren/402536242?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral,
• https://www.diepresse.com/13451272/queere-ausstellung-zu-liebe-und-sex-in-der-kirche-bleibt-geschlossen?utm_source=ground.news&utm_medium=referral
