Presidents Hung For Art

A startling art exhibit depicting all of Chile's past presidents strung up by nooses, on display in a national palace annex, is testing Chileans' ability to laugh at themselves. “Let's not be Parra-noid,” quipped Chilean President Michelle Bachelet when she inaugurated the installation by veteran bad-boy poet and visual artist Nicanor Parra, 91. The exhibit is in an underground cultural center at Chile's national-palace complex. Displaying gallows images of presidents so close to the seat of government might draw controversy anywhere, but it is especially daring in Chile where presidential authority is highly respected. The ministry had no choice but to go ahead with the exhibit because censorship of Parra, from a clan of famous Chilean artists, might have drawn international criticism. For the full story - click the title Irish Art