'Violence in art space': Artist after being attacked in India
At the "Estranged Geographies" exhibition in Kochi, two Kerala-based artists, P.H. Hochimin and Sudamshu, tore up six prints by Algerian-French artist Hanan Benammar on Wednesday evening, livestreaming the act on Facebook.
The prints—titled Go Eat Your Dad—used Malayalam translations of Norwegian insults to highlight issues of censorship, language, class, and gender.
The duo claimed the works were obscene.
Exhibition continues amid uproar
The Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, which co-organized the show, called the vandalism an attack on artistic freedom and filed a police complaint.
Akademi chairperson Murali Cheeroth said Benammar's art was a critique of censorship and language, not obscenity.
Benammar described the incident as "violence in an art space" and urged for protection of free expression.
Despite the damage, the exhibition continues until November 15 with both the torn prints and CCTV footage on display—sparking fresh debate around artistic freedom in India.