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:

• Earth Day: Why I Haven't Killed Myself Yet
• Earth Day: Confusing The Masses
• Everyone's A Star
• Rev. Korda Harrassing Traffic
• Sex Is Good: Pedophile Priests For Life
• Eat A Queer Fetus For Jesus