Vagina Art Veiled at Azerbaijan's Venice Biennale Pavilion, Causing Some to Cry Censorship
Azerbaijan's government has covered up two large-scale sculptures by artist Aidan Salakhova at its pavilion at the Venice Biennale after president Ilham Aliyev reportedly expressed concerns about their treatment of Islam and depiction of his country. Officially, Azerbaijan claims that the works were damaged in transport and will be repaired, but this version of events was disputed by a source at the Biennale.
"Waiting Bride" (2010-2011), a statue of a woman covered in a black veil from head to toe, and "Black Stone," a sculpture depicting the black stone in Mecca venerated by Muslims within a vagina-like marble frame, were both covered up, the Independent reports. "The day before the opening of the pavilion, the president of the country viewed the exhibition and didn't like several works in Aidan's exhibition," a Biennale official told the paper. "He was most concerned with the marble artwork that is a replica of the sacred black stone that Muslims kiss during the Hajj to Mecca. He felt this offensive to Islam."
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/37829/vagina-art-veiled-at-azerbaijans-venice-biennale-pavilion-causing-some-to-cry-censorship/