A local councillor from the western city of Poznan has taken an art gallery to court for displaying a swastika in a poster announcing the opening of the art venue.

The poster, based on the work of Italian artist Max Papeschi entitled Nazisexymous, shows a naked woman with the head of Mickey Mouse and a Nazi swastika in the background.

The poster advertises the opening of a new gallery in Poznan, which in September will host an exhibition titled “Abnormal Nudes.” The exhibition will include works of numerous artists from around the world put in a new, controversial context.

“For Poles, the swastika symbolizes the suffering and death of over six million people. The promotion of the Nazi regime through a public display of swastika in the very city centre is a disgusting and repulsive act,” says Norbert Napieraj, Poznan city councillor.

Owners of the gallery argue that artists have the right to comment on life in any way they want. “Our goal is not just to exhibit, but also to provoke, to show how modern pop culture comments on reality,” says gallery manager Maria Czarnecka who denied that the poster promotes Nazism.

“We will investigate whether the law has been violated in this case,” assures Mateusz Pakulski from the Prosecutor’s Office in Poznan, which has opened an investigation on the case.

The display of the swastika and other Nazi symbols is banned in Poland and is punished by up to two years imprisonment. (mg)

Source: PAP