Elena Karavodin’s art was exhibited at the Encinitas Community Center from June – August 2021. Before the show opened to the public, the City of Encinitas cited eleven separate artworks for indecency and removed them from the exhibition. Pictured below are the artworks that were censored from the show, with explained “violations”.
Shortly after learning about Elena’s experience the National Coalition Against Censorship, contacted the City of Encinitas to remind them of their First Amendment violations. NCAC is asking the city to develop guidelines governing the display of artwork in government spaces, and that those guidelines will recognize the freedom of artists to express diverse views and affirm the rights of people in the community to see a wide range of artwork. Read their letter to the city here.
All censored artworks were then shown to the public for free at ArtHatch in Escondido, CA from June – August 2021. View the Press Release here. Please contact me if you would like to know more about my experience. > Email Me <
Read more about Elena’s experience of censorship in a recent article written by The Coast News Group, here. A separate article written by the San Diego Union Tribune can be read, here.
“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.” – Laurie Halse Anderson
Disturbing Title
“I did a bad thing…” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood 16 x 20 inches SOLD
“Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can’t vent any anger against them. I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere, in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence. They were only taught to look one way when many ways exist.” – Charles Bukowski
Hand on skirt
“Time Stops” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood 24 x 18 inches SOLD
“I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone’s teeth get cleaner?” – Frank Zappa
“If there’s one American belief I hold above all others, it’s that those who would set themselves up in judgment on matters of what is “right” and what is “best” should be given no rest; that they should have to defend their behavior most stringently. … As a nation, we’ve been through too many fights to preserve our rights of free thought to let them go just because some prude with a highlighter doesn’t approve of them.” – Stephen King
Nipple shapes under bikini
“Beneath the Surface” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood 20 x 16 inches Purchase Here
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” – George R. R. Martin
Pornographic Title
“Playboy Mommy” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood 36 x 24 inches SOLD
“The idea that you have to be protected from any kind of uncomfortable emotion is what I absolutely do not subscribe to.” – John Cleese
Offensive Words: Bitch & Cunt
“Rumors” by Elena Karavodin Giclee on Heavyweight Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper 14 x 11 inches Purchase Here
“Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice.” – Holbrook Jackson
Offensive Word: Dummy
“Bubba & Hobbes” by Elena Karavodin Mixed Media on Wood 14 x 11 inches SOLD
“It is impossible to be truly artistic without the risk of offending someone somewhere.” – Wayne Gerard Trotman
Inappropriate clothing
“Treat Yourself” by Elena Karavodin Giclee on Heavyweight Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper 14 x 11 inches Purchase Here
“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” – Virginia Woolf
Guns
“That’s Enough!” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood 16 x 20 inches SOLD
“We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship.” – E.M. Forster
Poison
“War Games” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood, with Glossy Acrylic Resin Coating 18 x 24 inches SOLD
“Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” – Voltaire
Gun
“Remains of the Day” by Elena Karavodin Oil on Wood 16 x 16 inches SOLD
