Playboy Playmate Does Nude Photo Shoot ... In Front Of The Vatican
On Sunday, a Belgian Playboy Playmate was arrested after a nude photo shoot in front of the Vatican that included her being crucified on a cross, sitting nude on Bibles in St. Peter’s Square and dragging a crucifix across the street.
After being arrested, playmate Marisa Papen was held in custody for over 10 hours. The photo shoot was shot by Australian photographer Jess Walker, who runs ENKI Eyewear.
The Sun reported that Papen said: "I was right in the middle of putting on my underwear when two police cars suddenly arrived and another four cops approached us on foot, brandishing their batons and saying 'passports please.’”
Police later found the crucifix, rosaries, fake blood, priest outfits and a crown of thorns at Papen’s rented Airbnb apartment. After being arrested, Papen recalled, “There we were again, behind bars in a tiny little cell with dirt and ash on the floor. Jesse and I looked at each other and we burst out laughing.”
Papen’s not picky about which religions she offends; she and Walker were arrested in Egypt in 2017 after she posed nude in the temple complex of Karnak; she also walked into the Hagia Sophia mosque in Turkey while wearing a burka and flashed her genital area at the camera.
In June 2018, she posed nude in Jerusalem on a rooftop in front of the Western Wall. She said, “It was immediately clear to me that if we could manage to take a picture in front of or near the Wailing Wall, the whole trip would be a success. We got into a conversation with a super friendly guy, who turned out to be Muslim, and he invited us into his house where we drank coffee and mint tea."
Papen and photographer Mathias Lambrecht asked if the man would permit them to take a photo on the roof; he agreed. She stated, "I still had to explain that I wanted to take off my clothes for a picture.”
Papen wrote, “After my escapades in Egypt, I knew that I wanted to push the boundaries of religion and politics even further. Breaking down the walls that have been build to keep all our wandering souls on this planet somehow under control. With other words, showing my personal religion in a world where freedom is becoming a very luxurious thing. “
Papen tried to justify her behavior this way: "Religion is turning mankind more and more into pack animals. We no longer get the chance to listen to our heart and instinct. From birth we are being brainwashed. How can a skin, a nude body anger someone? I think that religion plays a big role in this, so by expressing my art at this location, as well as in Egypt, I hope to break this stigma."
Papen wrote on her website, "Not to beat around the bush... A photographic translation that undresses the stupidity of Religion. A very intimate look upon Islam, Judaism and Christianity. And just to be clear. I'm not pointing the finger at those who believe... I believe too. This is all about the institutions and the rules that have formed walls around these believe system, walls around us. Separated us from each other. And from our own selves. May the true light shine through. Which is you."
