Vasari Art Codex

artist last supper painting india kochi muziris biennale 1234768717

One week after an exhibition tied to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale closed due to religious protests, the offending painting—"Supper at a Nunnery" by Tom Vattakuzhy—has been withdrawn. The work, shown in the side exhibition “EDAM” organized by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, depicts a naked Mata Hari as Jesus surrounded by nuns as disciples. Since December, Indian Christian organizations had accused the artist of insulting the faith, leading to the exhibition's closure and eventual removal of the painting after a meeting with local officials.

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kochi muziris biennale closure christian protests 1234768658

India's Kochi-Muziris Biennale was forced to close briefly in late December 2024, just weeks after its mid-December opening, following protests by Christian groups over a painting of the Last Supper by artist Tom Vattakuzhy. The work was displayed not in the main biennial exhibition, “For the Time Being,” but in a side exhibition called “EDAM” at the Garden Convention Centre in Kochi. Christian organizations, including the Kerala Latin Catholic Association and the Syro-Malabar Church, condemned the painting as offensive and called for its removal, questioning the use of public funds. Vattakuzhy, who is from a Christian family, said he did not intend to offend and that the work was inspired by a play based on a poem about Mata Hari. The biennial's curators and president defended the work, refusing to remove it on grounds of censorship, and organizers announced the exhibition would reopen on January 2.

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