"Manege" occupied by vandals
On
the 7th of December the Social Committee "For the Moral Revival of the
Fatherland" addressed to the Ministry of culture of Russian Federation and
to Moscow Government dealing with an exhibition that takes place in the Central
exhibition hall. There is a demand in the address to change the status of the
exhibition hall because immoral and anti-cultural actions have taken place there
many times.
In
particular the address says:
An
art exhibition-fair "Art-Manege" is going on in the Central exhibition
hall in the December 2001, uniting Russian galleries and exhibition halls under
an official slogan "The art of trading".
The
art managers have become known to intend to trade pornographic and blasphemous
productions among others. A work by V.
Agapov
is exhibited that sacrilegiously parodies the icon "Our Lady of Vladimir".
Near this piece there are openly indecent pornographic works exhibited by Moscow
gallery "Regina".
This
means that "Art-Manege" has returned to the vandalism three years
after the time when the notorious Ter-Oganian contaminated icons publicly. Let
us remind that in December 1998, there was an exposition of "Vpered"
("Forwards") Gallery in the Central exhibition hall (the "Grand
Manege") named "Young Atheist". It was Ter-Oganian who declared
himself an atheist, who destroyed images that are holy for Christians. The State
Prosecutor's Office brought a criminal cause versus Ter-Oganian, who hid abroad.
Last
year, the same "Manege" accepted an exhibition of indecent pictures
from the "Playboy" magazine. Art-Manege's
organizers, leaders and sponsors are continuing their anti-religious terrorism,
committing another sacrilege actions, and they do it knowingly and voluntarily.
The
Social Committee "For the Moral Revival of the Fatherland" claims that
after the 1998 year's vandalism those people cannot be received in any Russian
place of culture or an exhibition hall! The Social Committee expresses regrets
that neither the Ministry of Culture nor the capital's government discharged
this natural moral request. Vandals can have the "Manege" again for
their debauchery and sacrilege actions.
The
activities must undertake the urge measures: they must forbid the organizers,
leaders and sponsors any kind of participation in the official cultural actions
and projects. The Social Committee demands also to divest the Central Exhibition
hall of the status of a cultural establishment because of anti-cultural actions
going on there.