The mayor of Liverpool Council ordered the removal of an artwork, one of the finalists in the Blake Prize for religious or spiritual art, because the Christian community had taken offence “at Jesus Christ being portrayed as a Looney Tunes character”.
“Jesus Speaks to the Daughters of Jerusalem,” 2022, Oil on Vintage Offset Lithograph by artist Philjames.
On Friday afternoon, Mayor Ned Mannoun ordered artist Philjames’ work, “Jesus Speaks to the Daughters of Jerusalem”, to be removed from the Blake Prize exhibition at the council’s Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.
The removal followed a brief but intense campaign orchestrated by Charlie Bakhos, founder of Christian Lives Matter (CLM), a group of conservative Catholics who have led protests against same-sex marriage, abortion and transgender issues.
The 48-year-old artist, who has received dozens of vitriolic and threatening messages since Friday, said: “It’s really sad that it has come to this.”
Even though the work had been on display for two months, just before noon on Friday Bakhos was alerted to what he described as a portrait of the crucifixion of Jesus with “Daffy Duck and cartoon characters dressed up as Jesus and Mary”.
“We will not put up with it,” Bakhos posted on his CLM Facebook page about the “unacceptable” artwork “mocking our faith”. At his urging, CLM supporters responded in droves to Bakhos’ plea for them to complain.
The artist Philjames at home on Sunday.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos
Later on Friday afternoon, Bakhos told his followers that the council had capitulated. “Within hours of posting this rubbish art mocking Christianity, hundreds and hundreds of you uniting by commenting, emailing and calling respectfully. I’ve just gotten word that this shocking disrespectful art mocking Jesus Christ has finally been removed.”
Bakhos said he’d rung the council to say “we’re organising a few hundred people to come down to do a protest straightaway”. Bakhos said the council’s response was “Please don’t protest. We’re going to take it down.”
Charlie Bakhos, founder of Christian Lives Matter. Credit:
Even though the exhibition had only two more days to run, the mayor ordered the removal of Philjames’ painting, telling this masthead that his local area was one of the most religious in Sydney and that “the Christian community (and many Muslims) take offence at Jesus Christ being portrayed as a Looney Tunes character.
“The Christian Messiah and the Muslim Messiah Jesus has no connection to the cartoon character Goofy,” Mannoun said in response to questions from the Herald.
“The right to free speech needs to be balanced with the right to practise your religion without fear, persecution or ridicule,” he said.
Mannoun said complaints had been received from “numerous residents who were disgusted and offended that Liverpool Council was displaying this artwork”.
Liverpool Mayor Ned MannounCredit: Dion Georgopoulos
Jason Breton, the council’s acting chief executive, said the decision to remove the artwork had been based on “the mayor’s position, safety concerns, and the high level of community response”.
A police spokesperson said the local police command was not aware there had been an issue with the painting until the council informed it on Saturday of the decision to remove the artwork.
Other councillors said they were not aware of the decision until contacted by this masthead.
“It’s totally out of line,” said the Herald’s art critic John McDonald of the artwork’s removal. “There should not be a public safety issue about a satirical painting in an art exhibition in a public place. That’s completely ludicrous.”
McDonald said that if the “offended parties” had an issue, they should have taken it up with the organisers and selectors of the Blake Prize.
According to its website, “The Blake Prize is a biennial exhibition that highlights local and international contemporary artists who explore ideas of spirituality and religion through contemporary artworks”. The winner received $35,000.
“Phil is a satirist. He’s a humourist,” said McDonald. The artist’s irreverence “is not just the Christian religion, it’s almost anything”, said the critic, who has previously written of Philjames’ work that the artist “has realised that the chief way we relate to history today is as one big Hollywood costume drama”.
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