Dear Friends,
Read
the newspaper article at the bottom of this post, published by
Metro newspaper in London.
As you all know there is a vicious degrading campaign being aimed
at Buddhism all over the world for sometime now. The latest desecration
of a Buddha statue is in the UK, promoted by Royal Academy of
Arts, which all these years we thought to be a prestigious place
for art. Last month, this academy knowingly ridiculed the Buddha
by displaying a bronze Buddha statue with a banana and two eggs
on its lap, indicating they are Buddha's penis and testicles.
Though some Buddhist priests and the laity who visited the exhibition
complained to the Royal Academy, the management were indifferent.
The same desecrated statue which has been bought by an art dealer
is now being displayed in his art gallery in Norwich. The owner
says he would not move it even if he were taken to courts. A lot
of complaints have been logged and protests were made through
phone. The artist who created this unholy thing is named Colin
Self. He has done mocking twists to god Ganesh and Jesus Christ
as well, but did not touch anything pertinent to Muslim religion.
Why? He knew if he did so, he would not see the daylight the following
day. So Buddhism becomes the easy target for these so called artists
with warped mind.
I
request our civilised society to act against these vultures and
their crude hidden agenda to desecrate the Lord Buddha. Following
are the postal addresses, Phone numbers and e-mail addresses of
those elements responsible for this. Please contact them any way
and stamp your protest.
Daya
Ranasinghe
London
Royal
Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly
London, UK
Telephone. 0207 300 8000
Email - access@royalacademy.org.uk
This
is where the statue being displayed now.
David
Koppel
St Giles Street Gallery
51 St Giles Street
Norwich NR2 1JR
Tel. 01603 663333
The
Artist who made the statue is
Colin
Self
e-mail: enquiries@associativetrails.com
Shocking
art is in the lap of the god
London
Metro newspaper – Wednesday, October 3, 2007-10-04
A
SAUCY Buddha in a shop window has caused uproar – and could
get an art gallery owner arrested for ‘ hate crime’.
The
controversial sculpture of a Buddha resting two bronze eggs and
a banana in its lap is being investigated by the police following
a raft of complaints.
The
£125,000 figure, created by Colin Self, was on display at
the Royal Academy in London until it was bought by gallery owner
David Koppel.
Mr
Koppel said: ‘ I never anticipated it would cause such a
furore but we have been bombarded with complaints. The police
have now threatened to impound the sculpture and arrest me if
it remains on public display.’
On
the advice of the appropriately named Det. Con Dan Cocks, of Norfolk
Police’s hate crime unit, he has turned the figure to face
away from the window of his St Giles Street Gallery in Norwich
However,
he said that when he returns from holiday next week, he intends
to return it to its original position.
‘
I will be taken away in handcuffs if need be. There is an issue
of artistic freedom at stake,’ he added.
Tom
Llewellyn, of Norwich Buddhist Centre, said: ‘ The sculpture
is crass and inappropriate and, as a work of art, I do not think
it has much value or imagination.’
Norfolk
Police confirmed they were trying to sort out the problem out
after people complained it caused ‘ religious offence’.
It
is the centrepiece of three bronzes featuring Hindu god Ganesh
with a Nazi helmet and a figure of Christ being crucified on the
back of a flying bomber. Those pieces have not attracted any complaints. |
