Censorship in the Arts: The case of George Gavriel’s paintings

Abstract

This work is an initial attempt to approach censorship and national identity in Cyprus via studying the case of the artist and high-school principal Giorgos Gavriel, who shared his paintings on Facebook in September 2020. By depicting controversial figures of Cypriot society being, among others, urinated and defecated upon, Gavriel’s paintings and their social media dissemination provoked social and political turmoil, followed by a disciplinary procedure against him, initiated by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The Gavriel’s case is discussed via literature review and visual analysis methodologies, and conclusions related to censorship and national identity in Cyprus are drawn.