Miriam Cahn’s Controversial Painting at Palais de Tokyo, and a Deeper Dive Into Censorship in the Arts

Image Credit: Fançois Doury

This past month, a vivid painting by Swiss painter Miriam Cahn sparked outrage when exhibited at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France. The painting, titled fuck abstraction ! incited discomfort and outrage by many museumgoers, French residents, and on social media worldwide. They claimed it “represented pedophilia,” as it depicted a sexual scene between a larger figure and a smaller figure. Upon examining the painting, it is easy to see how so many came to this conclusion. Recently, however, Cahn spoke out about the painting’s true intentions, and what the work meant to her, prompting France’s Council of State to rule that it can stay in view.

fuck abstraction ! depicts a larger figure and a smaller figure in a sexual position. Critics of the painting deemed that it alluded to themes of pedophilia due to the size difference between the two characters. These rumors arose despite Cahn’s direct quotes in the text accompanying the painting at the museum.

Many other works in the show at Palais de Tokyo revolved around human rights violations in Ukraine. Cahn’s statement and the contextualization of the piece within this setting clearly show that the painting was not intended for the purposes onlookers on social media and in public spaces beyond this setting are criticizing it for. Cahn painted the work in response to the atrocities being committed in Ukraine, as well as the rapes of women and children by Russian soldiers. The museum text quotes Cahn, who explains that “this is a person whose hands are tied, raped before being killed and thrown into the street. The repetition of violence during wars is not intended to shock but to denounce.”

The speculations surrounding fuck abstraction ! may seem warranted due to the initial impression of the painting. Yet it is still concerning, as it is an example of ignorance: onlookers publicly jumped to conclusions about this artwork before taking the time to research or look into the context of painting at all, or simply did not have enough information accompanying the piece (for example, those simply viewing the work on social media). The dangers of allowing rumors like the ones surrounding Cahn’s work to arise contributes to the slippery slope of censorship in the art world. Wouldn’t Cahn have reached a greater span of audiences and with less backlash if she did not include such violent imagery in her work? However, learning about the atrocities currently occurring in Ukraine involves a level of discomfort and unease; while art is ever subjective, sometimes it is a great aid in raising awareness for political or human rights issues, and starting conversations that may be shocking or uncomfortable.

Even more questions arise after the “cancellation” of an artist or any sort of creative content producer; should art spaces stay infinitely open-minded and accepting of all artwork, or should there be more serious conversations about safety, trigger warnings, and censorship? While warranted in certain contexts, the dangers of censoring nude body images are plentiful, especially the danger of oversexualization. Censoring Cahn’s painting would prove a point that the painting was created to depict a scene of pedophilia, not only reinforcing the hypersexualisation of children but unfairly tarnishing Cahn’s reputation.

Art serves as a lovely vessel of connection between differing dialogues. Museums, exhibits, and art galleries are places where artists have a safe space that encourages their artistic expression and human ingenuity, and encourages interacting with a public audience. Paintings communicating bigger messages, above all, should be welcomed and accepted in these spaces, regardless of criticism from the viewers. While art spaces should always be creative, challenging spaces for public discourse, those taking advantage of these privileges and producing harmful images, such as real pedophilia, are diminishing the safety of these spaces, and should not be supported as distinguished creators whatsoever.