Ministerial art prompts treason complaint

[apothecary]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1504405.htm

The digital images of John Howard, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock and Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone with their lips sewn up are on display at the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery.

Artist Michael Agzarian has been told the Prime Minister's office received a complaint alleging his works were treasonous.

The complaint was referred to the Arts Department, which then contacted the gallery to ask if the show was government-funded.

It was not funded by the Government but by the local council and Charles Sturt University (CSU).

Agzarian says the events are still a worry.

"I suppose that's the part that a lot of people are concerned about, and so am I: that if there was an implication there was concern about the funding," he said.

The Wagga gallery's manager says the complaint is the only one received about the images from 4,000 visitors to the exhibition of work by CSU staff members.

Agzarian says the images of Mr Howard, Mr Ruddock and Senator Vanstone were created to highlight the plight of refugees.

"The idea came from my alarm at seeing actual detainees doing this to themselves," he said.

"They get to a country and they're detained and I think injustly (sic) in a lot of cases, and I think these people are just speaking out."

Agzarian says the reaction from the department is concerning for freedom of expression in Australia.

"It just seems ironic that this happened to myself," he said.

"I was speaking out in response to my beliefs and my experience and someone takes offence to it.

"As I said, I don't want to blow things out of proportion but we've just got to keep en eye on it that these things don't happen slowly.

"There's a sort of deterioration of things we take for granted here."