Sculpture offends and 'hurts' poor little 6srael

By Haitham Sabbah

The Israeli embassy in Madrid is "hurt" and "offended!" How touching… It's okay for Israelis to kill everyday, to spit on Christians and Muslims, to kidnap people and harvest their organs, to arrest and jail children, to use illegal weapons, to impose an illegal siege on a million and a half people in Gaza, to occupy Palestine, Syria and Lebanon and to threaten more war and occupation everyday.. It's okay for Israel to ignore International Law, UN resolutions, the International Court of Justice, the NPT and on and on… but its not okay for a piece of art to be critical of "poor little Israel"… After 62 years of lies, Israel can no longer hide its true ugly colors from the world… even with its total control of mainstream media… (Hat tip: Cherifa Sirry)

Stairway to Heaven by Spanish artist Eugenio Merino

A controversial art piece on exhibition at the Madrid art fair, was condemned by the Israeli Embassy in Madrid as being "offensive to Judaism."

"The hurtful message this piece conveys doesn't hurt less because it is displayed under the veil of art," the Israeli embassy wrote in a letter to the organizers of ARCO art fair, one of the world's top contemporary art fairs.

The installation "Stairway to Heaven," by Spanish artist Eugenio Merino, displays a crouching Muslim, topped by a kneeling Christian, and he in turn is topped by a Jew in prayer. Next to the sculpture was displayed a machine gun with a Menorah shooting out of its barrel.

Merino denied that the sculpture was provocative, and said it reflected "the idea of coexistence between the three religions, all of which are trying to reach God."

The work, which used human hair and silicone to give it a real look, was sold immediately to a European art collector for 50,000 Euros.

The artist says that "Stairway to Heaven", is not anti-Semitic, but reflects the alliance of civilizations.

The Israeli Embassy in Madrid sent a statement stressing its rejection of works by the Catalan artist Eugenio Merino presented in the gallery's booth at the fair in Madrid 2010. The Israeli embassy believes that the work by Merino have "items offensive to Jews, Israelis, and probably others."

In the same vein, he explained that religion is always "problem" and said he has tried to be as "respectful as possible". "I accept their criticism, but they must accept my work," said the artist, who considers that his piece is not "aggressive" because it has an "air of true religiosity." "You always have an opinion or interpretation that can not control. What others think depends on many elements I can not control, such as where you lived.

More from Eugenio Merino:

Staying Alive, Staying Alive!