People Are Now Protesting In The Streets Because Of This “Naughty” Banana Video

As a wise woman once said, “Let them eat bananas” — or, something like that. Last week, the Polish government removed a piece of art from the National Museum of Warsaw, having deemed it “improper.” The art piece at the center of the storm is a 1973 video called “Consumer Art” by Natalia LL, which depicts a nude woman suggestively eating a banana.

When Natalia LL created the video in the early ’70s, Poland was still under communist rule. Her visual was a critique of the country’s political situation at the time, during which bananas were considered a thing of luxury. Therefore, many art appreciators are seeing the removal of the piece as a form of censorship, and they’re not about to let the government get away with it.

According to Time, the museum’s new director, Jerzy Miziolek, was reportedly ordered by government officials to appear in front of the Ministry of Culture earlier in April. Miziolek later told the Polish news site Onet.pl that he was “opposed to showing works that could irritate sensitive young people.”

Before Miziolek entered the picture, Natalia LL’s video had hung in the gallery for several years.

Some snippets from “Consumer Art” are available to view on YouTube. Beware: if you’re caught watching this at work, your coworkers will think differently of you.

To protest the video’s removal, activists have taken to both social media and the physical streets to demand it be reinstated. Photographer Sylwia Kowalczyk wrote in her protest post on April 29th, “We are entering a new era of censorship by this ultra catholic rightwing Polish government… who thinks gayness can be ‘cured’ and LGBT community, feminism, and something they call ‘gender’ are pure (d)evil.”

As Time reported, actress Magdalena Cielecka told the Associated Press, “An artist, to create, must be free.” She posed with a banana to her head, like a gun, in order to protest against political limits put on artists.

“Consumer Art” was one of two controversial pieces removed from the museum. The other, a 2005 video by female artist Katarzyna Kozyra, shows a woman walking two men dressed as dogs on leashes.

Miziolek was reportedly appointed to the position of museum director by the right-wing Polish government. He’s been in the position since November 2018.

On Monday, April 29th, protestors gathered outside the National Museum of Warsaw to eat bananas and wear peels on their head. They demanded Natalia LL’s video be reinstated in the gallery.

That same day, Miziolek responded to the protest stating that he respects both Natalia LL and Kozyra’s impact on Polish culture. However, the museum simply needed to undergo “creative changes.”

Miziolek agreed to reinstate Natalia LL’s piece in the gallery, but only until May 6th. After that date, the entire modern art exhibit will be refreshed.

According to Time, Miziolek denied he was under pressure from the Polish government to remove the pieces from the museum. But… no one seems to be buying that story.

Since the conservative, nationalist government took power in 2015, there has been a string of controversies surrounding arts and culture in Poland. Culture Minister Piotr Glinski reportedly cut subsidies to art festivals that had planned on producing theater performances with controversial Catholic themes.

Glinski has been quick to fire government employees who have criticized him and to defund programs that do not align with the ring-wing agenda. Hm… sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

If you want to support those who are demanding the end of art censorship, and are standing up for gender and sexual equality in Poland, post a banana pic and hashtag it #bananaselfie and/or #bananagate.

It seems like a silly concept, but the message is clear.

Go bananas or go home. It’s for a good cause.

Get the whole family involved. They’ll love it!

Dogs can participate, too. You might just have to help them post on Instagram.

Just remember to compost all those peels after you’ve snapped the perfect pic. And don’t leave them around for someone to slip on.

When the government begins to control things like art (ahem… freedom of speech), protest is necessary. Today, peel one out for the homies in Poland.