maybe from beardface news
Made from a Chinese fetus and a gull corpse, 'Ruan' is a weird lookin' deal.
A Chinese work of art that consists of what appears to be the head of a human fetus grafted onto the body of a seagull afloat in formaldehyde has provoked a complaint in Switzerland.
Adrien de Riedmatten, 29, a former memer of the Young Swiss People's party, filed a complaint with the Bern district attorney on Monday, denouncing the work of Chinese artist Xiao Yu on display at the Bern Art Museum.
"I am in no way against art or for censorship, but I believe we owe a minimum amount of respect to the dead," de Riedmatten said. The daily tabloid Le Matin said on Monday: "A Chinese art exhibition provokes disgust among visitors."
Under Swiss law complaints such as de Riedmatten's require an investigation by law enforcement authorities who must decide whether to press charges.
De Riedmatten hopes to have the piece - titled "Ruan" - removed from the exhibit, and is requesting an inquiry into its composition. "I want to know where this baby comes from and if it was killed for this work," de Riedmatten said. "We know about the problems of late-term abortions in China and we have the right to ask ourselves questions."
His complaint is also directed at museum authorities responsible for displaying the "Mahjong" collection, which features avant-garde Chinese works from the last 25 years. It is also aimed at the owner of the piece, the former ambassador of Switzerland in China, Uli Sigg.
The museum has installed warning signs about the exhibit after the failure to do provoked concern.
"It's true we should have posted a warning notice," said Ruth Gilgen, the museum's spokeswoman. "A class of young children who were visiting the museum were extremely shocked. Today, at the entrance we warn the public that certain works may shock them." Gilgen said, however, there is no intention to withdraw the piece.
The "Mahjong" exhibit in Bern runs until Oct. 16.
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