Art News

A display at The Curve Gallery in London's Barbican Centre will be taken down in the wake of a censorship row after Barbican staff asked a speaker to avoid the topic of free Palestine at a recent talk. The art display is from the Resolve Collective group.

In an Instagram post, the collective said it was cancelling the display because of an act of anti-Palestinian censorship. The decision partly stemmed from the cancellation of a talk on 15 June between the Egyptian researcher Nihal El Assar and Elias Anastas, the co-founder of the Palestinian radio station, Radio Alhara. The livestreamed discussion on the radical possibilities of radio was part of Resolve Collective's them's the breaks series of programmed events.

Shortly before the event was due to begin, the Barbican shared an editorial note with the speaker asking him to avoid spending too much time discussing free Palestine. The Barbican then clams that a 'technical failure' brought the event to an abrupt close.

A few Christians have slammed a plan to erect a statue of an Amazonian love god near a cathedral as offensive and an insult.

A 6ft 2in bronze figure is being paid for by taxpayers as part of a £1million trail of five sculptures through the centre of Wakefield, West Yorkshire. According to its creator, artist Jason Wilsher-Mills, the sculpture was inspired by a painting of local Victorian conservationist Charles Waterton capturing a caiman or alligator-type creature, the love story of his parents and his own connections with Wakefield.

But a planning application to site the pagan statue on Cathedral Walk, close to the Anglican cathedral's main entrance, has prompted more than 60 complaints from members of the public. One objector commented:

How can you possibly think that the erection of a Sun God opposite the central place of Christian worship in the city and district could be acceptable?

It is at best insensitive and at worst a deliberate attempt to mock Christianity, the cathedral and all it stands for. Is this a precedent?

Should we expect the council to place such offensive statues outside other local centres of worship, Christian and otherwise?

The project is being fully funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. If planning consent is granted the sculptures will be in place this summer.