Law & Politics
Artist Steven Cohen Convicted for Nude Parisian Performance
Sarah Cascone
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South African artist Steven Cohen has been convicted of “sexual exhibitionism” for his provocative nude performance, the AFP reports. The artist, clad only in a corset, stockings, platform high heels and a feathered headdress and gloves, was arrested in September after dancing for 10 minutes across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, with a leashed rooster tied to his codpiece.
A YouTube video from Agence France-Presse provides some insight into the artists’ unusual practice. “Shocking is the first level we break through to get into understanding what is underneath the appearance of things,” he explained.
Though Cohen spent nine hours in a holding cell following his arrest, he was not fined for his offense, despite the guilty verdict. Prosecutors had pushed for a €1,000 ($1,390) fine. For Cohen, the lack of punishment is frustrating: “It’s like saying ‘we are right but we are not going to do anything to you,’ which for me is a double injustice,” he told AFP.
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