In Switzerland, which has been hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff bomb, a gallery canceled an exhibition of a statue depicting Trump on a cross after controversy.
On the 11th (local time), local media BaZ reported that Gleis 4 gallery announced it would cancel the planned exhibition of the statue of President Trump on the cross next month as part of the opening of the exhibition space within the Basel train station and seek another venue.
Titled "Adult or Sinner," this statue is a depiction of President Trump, wearing an orange prison uniform, with his limbs bound and grimacing while suspended on a white cross.
When the exhibition plan was announced, Basel citizens expressed mixed opinions, saying, "It's blasphemy," "It fits the cultural city of Basel perfectly," and "It's important to provoke social debate."
As the controversy grew, the gallery stated in a notice on the 8th, "We didn't expect such great interest," and added, "The large crowds and chaos could pose a safety risk, so we decided not to display the work at Basel station."
Switzerland has been subject to a 39% reciprocal tariff imposed by President Trump since the 7th of this month, the day before the exhibition was canceled. This led to speculation that the cancellation was related to the tariff issue; however, gallery staff Melanie Breznick noted, "It would be humiliating for the gallery to make a decision for such reasons."
Meanwhile, the statue was produced by a British artist using the pseudonym Jason Storm, who is known for addressing art history and social criticism in provocative ways.
Storm has previously hinted that he painted the faceless artist Banksy's "Devolved Parliament," leading some to speculate that he could be Banksy's assistant.