Love Your Neigbours, Turn Them in for Blasphemy

The piece was part of an exhibition entitled 'Pasje' (Passions). Gazeta Wyborcza writes that her conviction in Gdansk for offending religious sensitivities is the first of its kind in Poland. The artist was fined 2,000 zlotys (about 450 EUROS or $500) and received a 6 month foriegn travel ban, because her legal notoriety would allegedly increase her demand in international art circles. "I am shocked by such a severe sentence," the artist was quoted in Gazeta Wyborcza, "The court was totally biased. The judge admitted he was no art expert."

"The cross is a symbol of suffering, because on it Christ died. There is no doubt that this cross has been desecrated," the Judge Tomasz Zielinski told the Gazeta.

The piece was part of an exhibition called "Pasje" (Passions), which took place in Bialostok (2001) and later in Gdansk (2001/2002). The installation also features a video showing a bodybuilder lifting weights, the artist says her idea was to criticize certain forms of masculinity.

"It was absolutely not my intention to offend anyone," Nieznalska said, quoted by PAP news agency. She argues that no public complaints on the state financed installation were recieved. The charges were brought against her by the League of Polish Families, which is connected to the fundamental Roman Catholic political party. In January 2002 several members of this group physically and verbally attacked the artist at the Wyspa Gallery in Gdansk where the exhibition was shown. These attacks were recorded by the media which was present at the time.