Ayanda Mabulu loves a little controversy, and he certainly got that at the release of his public artwork yesterday outside of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

According to Ayanda’s spokesperson, Sipha Kema, Ayanda was arrested and taken to Morningside police station, although police say that he was not arrested, but rather removed from the area because he didn’t have the proper permission to display his artwork in that area.

Kema spoke with IOL:

She explained that Mabulu had initially intended to stage the exhibition at Constitutional Hill but when this fell through following a dispute over the artwork, he decided to display it in front of the stock exchange…

Kema went on to question why Mabulu was arrested for this particular artwork, when he’s done more controversial artwork in the past.

Additionally, she questioned why the artwork was confiscated, saying this remained his property.

“How is he arrested for this particular painting? What about his other paintings, which were actually one of the most controversial.

“Why was he arrested by law enforcement? It wasn’t just questioning, he was held on two charges,” she said.

Mabulu has reportedly since been released and it remains unclear when he’s appear in court.

I could be wrong, but I don’t remember Ayanda’s other artworks being prominently displayed in public? Perhaps that is why he was arrested (or not arrested – again, the police deny these claims), and perhaps he wanted to court the police’s attention for increased publicity.

Anyway, here’s Ayanda himself talking to News24, with the artwork blurred out:

OK, ready for the full image?

It’s graphic, but here we go:

There’s a lot to take in there.

Sorry to do this, but we’re getting in closer:

In case you’re still unsure,that’s former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste receiving oral sex, alongside the late AWB leader Eugène Terre’Blanche.

This video was widely shared on Twitter:

Artist Ayanda Mabulu is arrested outside the JSE and taken to Morningside Police Station after he displayed a painting saying “blame it on the boers”. Police tried to take it down and chaos erupted . (@CannyMaphanga) pic.twitter.com/evsFkvWGTy

— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) December 12, 2018

Free speech, or a step too far to display in public without the required permission?

[source:iol]