Overview
- The university confirmed the show, titled Iconoclasia, was a terminal project by visual arts student Edder Damián Martínez Reséndiz at the Galería Jesús Gallardo, opened on September 8 and originally slated to close on September 12.
- The installation featured seven reworked crucifixes with alternative portrayals, including LGBTQ colors with an inverted pink triangle, sanitary pads painted as blood, a Star of David on the chest, a tulle skirt, and an inverted figure.
- Catholic organizations organized a petition on Activate.org that quickly drew more than 570 signatures and demanded a public apology from rector Claudia Susana Gómez.
- León Archbishop Jaime Calderón expressed deep indignation, pressed for the exhibit’s removal, and urged the university to prevent similar situations in the future.
- In statements defending academic freedom and artistic inquiry, the university said the works were not intended to offend, while local context remains sensitive in Guanajuato, where about 90% of residents identify as Catholic.