An unusual incident in late November in Brussels has drawn attention to the nativity scene in Grand Place. Crafted by German-born artist Victoria-Maria Geyer, the installation features figures created from recycled textiles, with faces made of unidentifiable black and brown patchwork. Geyer intended for the city-commissioned “Fabrics of the Nativity” to be inclusive, allowing every Catholic to see themselves in the scene. Despite its approval by a committee including Father Benoît Lobet, the piece faced immediate backlash from conservatives for its non-traditional portrayal.
Father Lobet defended the work, arguing it encourages viewers to engage personally with the nativity story, echoing the plight of refugees. As Emma Cieslik points out, similar scenes in the U.S. this year have used the nativity to highlight immigration issues, with installations like the one in Dedham, Massachusetts, replacing the Holy Family with a message protesting ICE’s actions. These American scenes, however, tend to deliver more explicit political messages than Geyer’s work, which raises broader questions about religious and cultural diversity.
Elsewhere in Europe, the nativity scene continues to spark debate. In Béziers, France, Mayor Robert Ménard has clashed with the government over his insistence on displaying a traditional nativity in a public building, defying French secular laws. This contrasts sharply with Brussels’ modern interpretation and underscores a larger cultural conflict over who gets to define Christian imagery in public spaces.
Controversy also surrounds a poster by Spanish artist Salustiano García in Seville, which has been criticized by conservatives for depicting Jesus as too effeminate. The uproar over both García’s and Geyer’s works highlights a common thread: the tension that arises when traditional religious imagery is reimagined in ways that reflect today’s diverse European society.
These disputes reveal a broader struggle over the role of Christian art in public spaces and who it should represent. As Europe’s creators push the boundaries of artistic expression, these nativity scenes force us to confront questions of belonging and identity in modern society.
