Church of Euthanasia censored by Barcelona’s Santa Monica Art Center
August 4, 2001
The Church of Euthanasia’s installation in the controversial Trans Sexual Express show, at Barcelona’s
Centre d’Art Santa Monica from June 27 to September 30, has been censored. According to articles which
appeared in the spanish newspapers El Pais and El Mundo on August 1, photographs were removed from
the Church of Euthanasia’s installation, without permission from the artists (Lydia Eccles, Rev. Chris
Korda, and Marilyn Fontenrose), or the show’s curators, Rosa Martinez and Xabier Arakistain.
A billboard-sized photograph by British artist Tracy Emin, which was originally attached to the outside of
the museum, was also removed. The museum’s website no longer mentions the show, and a large sign on
the front of the museum, advertising the show with the words "Trans Sexual Express," was removed.
A Church of Euthanasia video by Lydia Eccles is no longer being shown. The video documents the
Church’s activities in Boston, including a fetus barbeque at a pro-life rally, an attack on a sperm bank,
and a human meat taste test at a supermarket. Five of the censored photographs were also taken at Church
actions, and include such slogans as "Save The Planet, Kill Yourself," "Eat A Queer Fetus For Jesus," and
"Pedophile Priests For Life." The sixth photograph shows a man with a pentagram tattoo around his anus.
In El Pais, the museum’s director, Mr. Josep Miquel Garcia, said that the Department of Culture forced the
museum to remove the works. The Department of Culture has accused the museum of placing a billboard
on a public building without the necessary permits, but denies any involvement with censorship inside the
museum. Given the nature of Church of Euthanasia’s installation, and the influence of the Catholic Church
hierarchy within the Department of Culture, it seems likely that the Department of Culture did in fact force
the museum to censor the show.
The Church of Euthanasia received an email from Mr. Garcia, on July 31, in which he stated that the
museum had received complaints from visitors about the Church’s installation. He listed six photographs
which he said were causing the most negative response, and asked for permission to replace them with
other works. This email was deceptive, since according to El Pais, El Mundo, and Martinez, the
photographs had already been removed on July 27. The photographs were restored later on July 31,
according to El Mundo, but it’s unclear whether they will remain up; the curators have threatened to
remove the entire show unless all censored works are restored.
The Church of Euthanasia is a religious foundation devoted to restoring balance between humans and the
remaining non-human species, through voluntary population reduction. The Church encourages suicide,
abortion, cannibalism, and sodomy, and its members take a lifetime vow to not procreate. The censored
photographs are:
For more information, see www.churchofeuthanasia.org
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