Confronting Bodies: Russian airport customs agents
Date of Action: October 2006
Specific Location: Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport
Description of Artwork: Eight photographs depicting three men wearing masks of President Putin, George W. Bush, and Osama bin Laden in sexual situations.
Description of Incident: Matthew Bown, a British art dealer, was detained by Russian customs officials for about nine hours upon them finding the photographs. He was questioned about who made the pictures and about the Marat Guelman Gallery in Moscow (Where the works were on loan from).
Results of Incident: Five of the eight photographs were confiscated. The officials explained that they could not allow images portraying heads of State in a derogatory manner to leave the country. Bown said the confiscated pictures would be reprinted in London and the exhibit would continue as scheduled.
Source: The Art Newspaper