http://tvitimes.tvi.cc.nm.us/news/010529c.htm
Artist Lopez Defends Work
LOS ANGELES (AP) Southern California artist Alma Lopez says she doesnt understand why some people consider her representation of the Virgin Mary offensive. Her computer collage of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexicos national representation of the Virgin Mary, shows a young Hispanic woman covered by roses in a sort of floral bikini. She is supported by a bare-breasted angel. Some Roman Catholic leaders have denounced the artwork as sacrilegious. There have been demonstrations and protests at the state-runMuseum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, N.M., where the work is on display. "I see this womans legs and her belly ... and I dont see anything wrong, Lopez told the Los Angeles Times. As for the angel, also portrayed by a Hispanic model: ``Theyre just breasts. I have them. Dont rage against the breasts. Lopez said Hispanic activists have asked her to voluntarily withdraw the work. She has refused. "It would mean Latinas dont have a right to their own voice, she said.