Censorship of 'Pour Aphrodite' in Cyprus and France
In September 2002, following its debut at the Kypria International Festival, Anastassia Politi's multimedia work 'Pour Aphrodite,' inspired by Baptiste-Marrey's 'Carnets des îles' and incorporating poetry from Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey, faced censorship from the Cypriot Ministry of Education and Culture. The ministry labeled the erotic performance as vulgar and not representative of the national ethos, despite having commissioned it. Consequently, Politi's company, Erinna, fell into €40,000 of debt. Additionally, the Théâtre Molière in Paris canceled its scheduled performance in December 2002 due to external pressure. In November 2003, Augusto Cuvilas's 'Um solo para cinco' received second prize at the 5th Rencontres internationales de danse contemporaine but was subsequently canceled after a warning from the French embassy. The article also critiques the Musée national d'art moderne and its 'Matisse-Picasso' exhibition.
Key facts
- Anastassia Politi's 'Pour Aphrodite' was censored by the Cypriot Ministry of Education and Culture in September 2002 after its premiere at the Kypria International Festival.
- The ministry had commissioned and funded the piece but withdrew support citing aesthetic reasons and claiming the work was vulgar.
- La Filature/Scène nationale de Mulhouse withdrew its co-production commitment due to reactions from the Turkish community in Alsace.
- Costa Gavras wrote a letter to La Filature to maintain the project, but it was unsuccessful.
- The company Erinna incurred €40,000 in debt due to the censorship.
- The Théâtre Molière/Maison de la poésie in Paris canceled the scheduled December 2002 performance under obscure pressure.
- Augusto Cuvilas's 'Um solo para cinco' was canceled in Tananarive in November 2003 after the French embassy warned President Marc Ravalomanana of a national danger due to nudity.
- The article criticizes the Musée national d'art moderne for displaying paintings under glass and the 'Matisse-Picasso' exhibition for prioritizing iconography.
Entities
Artists
- Anastassia Politi
- Baptiste-Marrey
- Viviane Théophilidès
- Marc François
- Jean-Pierre Léonardini
- Costa Gavras
- Augusto Cuvilas
- Germaine Acogny
- Seydou Boro
- Salia Sanou
- Serge Saada
- Laurent Goumarre
- Stephane Bordarier
- Henri Matisse
- Pablo Picasso
- Kazimir Malevich
- Piet Mondrian
- Fernand Léger
- Georges Braque
Institutions
- Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus
- La Filature/Scène nationale de Mulhouse
- Théâtre Molière/Maison de la poésie
- Maison de la Grèce
- Kypria International Festival
- Erinna
- Afaa
- French embassy in Tananarive
- Musée national d'art moderne
- Grand Palais
- Hermitage Museum
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Théâtre national de Dijon
- Scène nationale de Mulhouse
- Festival Théâtral du Val d’Oise
- Centre des arts d’Enghien-les-bains
- Espace culturel Bernard Dague
- Festival Bruit de la neige
- Auditorium Saint-Germain-des-Prés
- Centre culturel neuchâtelois
- Printemps des poètes
- Théâtre national de Chaillot
- Oara Bordeaux
- La Halle aux grains Blois
- La Passerelle Saint Brieuc
- L'Arsenal Metz
- Festival Art danse Bourgogne
- Chateauvallon
Locations
- Cyprus
- Nicosia
- Turkey
- Alsace
- Mulhouse
- France
- Paris
- Tananarive
- Madagascar
- Mozambique
- Essen
- Germany
- Bordeaux
- Arcachon
- Fumel
- Strasbourg
- Blois
- Saint Brieuc
- Metz
- Troyes
- Annecy
- Montpellier
- Le Creusot
- San Sebastian
- Spain
- Lisbonne
- Portugal
- Chateauvallon
- Tunis
- Tunisia
- Enghien-les-bains
- Neuchâtel
- Switzerland
- Collioure
- Lascaux
Sources
- artpress —