We were sitting comfortably, eagerly awaiting the Christmas holidays to unwind a bit, when the now-infamous collage of works by the artist Mr George Gavriel dropped like a bolt from the blue.
This collage was spotted on the internet by that greatest of politicians, Mr Efthymios Diplaros, who—acting (so to speak) like the worst sort of gossip—reproduced it without bothering to verify its authenticity and created absolute chaos (Judges chapters 6-7:31, Old Testament). Of course, not even a trainee journalist would do such a thing but, well, there you go.
And as if nearly starting a civil war wasn’t enough, he wants more. But the whole affair also revealed ELAM’s ingratitude—they didn’t even say thank you to Mr Diplaros, who single-handedly took the Front out for a spin whilst Annita tried to fend off the fierce attack. But the party elected him deputy leader to prove the saying “vote for a fool and a fool will vote for you”—though I think the original phrase used a different verb, just as the painting Mr Gavriel actually created was different before they doctored it with that collage.
Of course, to be fair to Mr Diplaros, we must acknowledge that he’s a man of culture, and it’s widely rumoured he’ll be honoured for his elocution—even if the closest thing to culture he’s watched was “Jack the Ripper.” The painting he most admired was the levelling of Gaza, and he’s even said to have watched some scenes live. Between you and me, I can’t fathom what he liked about the doctored collage that made him reproduce it.
But Mr Diplaros earned his credentials supporting freedom of expression (outside Cyprus) when on 8 January 2015, after the attack by fanatics on the offices of the French weekly Charlie Hebdo, he wrote: “We support freedom of speech and democracy and express our opposition to all forms of terrorism. As a journalist (let’s say) and champion of freedom of speech, I am convinced that such attacks…stiffen journalistic pens and unite citizens and civilisations.” Back then, though, pens actually did stiffen. But when you see incestuous savages, dead bodies, and when you congratulate the (former) presidency of the Republic for releasing a paedophile because—wait for it—this prompted a correction of the situation, what else can one expect?
But beyond Mr Diplaros, we must acknowledge that as a people we lack a sense of humour, and this applies to politicians too. For instance, if ELAM’s president had a sense of humour, he’d send flowers to Mr Yiorgos Gavriel for the fact that—intentionally or not—he gave him the chance to play protector of homeland, religion and family, to skewer DISY and score points. But do visual artists have a sense of humour either? Because if Mr Gavriel had a sense of humour, he too would send flowers to ELAM’s president and to Mr Diplaros for helping to showcase his paintings across Cyprus and perhaps even abroad.
Mr Gavriel also gave an opportunity, not just to well-meaning people to critique his work, but to malicious ones to flatten everything. Worst of all, he gave every chancer the opportunity not to critique everything under the sun (and beyond) but to build their election campaign on his paintings or on a collage. And to fill the internet with not just sick candidates but also careerists, extremists, etc. And coincidentally, even some people whose own mothers don’t know them inform us they’ve taken a position on the matter “after encouragement from many supporters of their (non-existent) contribution.”
Among other things, I criticise Mr George Gavriel for being historically ignorant on a religious level because whilst his works frequently feature Christ and the Virgin Mary, he didn’t delve into the whole subject, which is why he proceeded with the senseless venture of exhibiting his work in Paphos. Are you alright, Mr Gavriel? If you’d read a bit (you were an education director, after all), you’d know that in Paphos they couldn’t even stomach Paul, the apostle to the gentiles, and “rewarded” him with 39 lashes—and you went to exhibit your work there?
And what does Lucifer say? Does he support Mr Gavriel? Lucifer maintains that freedom of expression is non-negotiable. And he would buy a work showing Christ or the Virgin Mary sheltering refugees, the persecuted, the sick and travellers. With these works, Mr Gavriel—consciously or unconsciously—extols what we call “divine,” whilst simultaneously scorching those (inside and outside the Church) who take the opposite approach to these phenomena.
Those who declare themselves faithful to God, I believe, insult Him when they threaten, abuse, blackmail, etc., in His name. I understand the clergy when they react, even if within their ranks there are far greater blasphemers. I understand not the Pharisee who reacts for show, but the genuinely faithful person. This is the type of person we must keep in mind when we paint, when we write, etc. But again, it’s a matter of self-regulation, not court summonses and explosives. We’re in the final days of 2025, not the early days of the Middle Ages.
Lucifer
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