Former U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec allegedly had satanic art on display at her residence in Bucharest, according to a false narrative circulated several months ago and recently revived within Romania’s sovereignist circles by AUR MP Mihail Neamțu.
NEWS: Shocking discovery at the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Romania: demonic occult art depicting children’s heads connected to a central demon. U.S. Congresswoman Luna reported the incident, leading to the revocation of the ambassador’s diplomatic status. These events are becoming increasingly explicit.
NARRATIVE: Former U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec promoted satanic occult art at her residence in Bucharest.
PURPOSE: To associate the reformist movement in Romania, which was supported by the U.S. during the Biden administration, with “Satanism,” with the aim of undermining it and promoting the ultra-conservative/sovereignist movement, which is pro-Church and advocates for “traditional values.”
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: First of all, the artwork was not personally selected by former Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec. It was placed in her residence through the Art in Embassies program (Art in Embassies).
Art in Embassies is a cultural program established by former President John F. Kennedy to promote American cultural diplomacy through the visual arts, as well as to connect international leaders with the cultural heritage of the U.S. and the heritage of the host country. In other words, the “satanic art objects” were not chosen by Kavalec but were deemed representative and selected by the program’s representatives. The change in the position of the U.S. Ambassador to Bucharest was linked to the change in administration in Washington, a natural transition, as is typical when moving from one administration to another. In this case, there was a transition from a strongly left-leaning administration to a representative of the MAGA movement—that is, much more than just a Republican administration.
Second, that “occult art” refers to art installations by the famous brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre, who were born in Mexico; they are not obscure or fringe artists but, on the contrary, have held exhibitions at established international venues such as the American Art Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, the San Diego Museum of Art, and the ASU Art Museum.
The two brothers have a controversial artistic style, one that is provocative, considered by some critics to be overloaded with symbolism or potentially shocking from a visual standpoint, traits that have, among other things, made them famous. Veridica has not identified any art critic or specialized museum source to have defined their works or style as “satanic” or as promoting “satanic occult” art or rituals.
The brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre blend in their art (hence its complexity and abundance of symbols) Catholic religious elements, elements from Greek mythology, pre-Columbian or Aztec symbols, as well as scenes from consumerist society and elements of urban daily life.
One of the “satanic” works promoted by Kathleen Kavalec is “Faun in the Big City”, and, as we noted, it may seem shocking at first glance, but it fits the style of brothers Einar and Jamex, and art critics do not view it as satanic, but rather as a representation of humanity’s relationship with nature, a symbol of environmental degradation or mixed cultures, or the tension between civilization and instinct, as art critics note regarding the two brothers’ works, which often feature “people of the woods.”
Because few people outside the field are aware that the Faun is, in fact, a remnant of the Roman god Faunus, a symbol of fertility and environmental protection, a spirit of the wild, associated with dance, music, and instincts.
In art, he is depicted with pointed ears, hooves, and horns, which is why in the Middle Ages, in certain civilizations, he was associated with the devil because of his appearance; however, in reality, Faunus appears in pagan iconography many centuries before Christianity, so there is no connection to Satan:
The half-human, half-animal figure, often depicted with hooves and horns, is—including in Romanian tradition—the embodiment of the devil, hence the rapid spread of the claim that such art is “satanic.”
Therefore, in a contemporary work of art, the Faun does not represent a demonic element, but can be interpreted as the antagonism between nature and wildness, man and animal, civilization and instinct, the environment and consumerism, etc.
For example, when applied to the “demonic” work “Faun in the Big City”, the title itself highlights the antagonism between nature and the sprawling urban environment (overpopulated and polluted), and the depiction of children’s heads symbolizes in Western art rebirth, the new world, the future, fertility, and innocence; all the more so since fauns and children are often depicted together in numerous classical or Renaissance works of art without these having been considered satanic or having had demonic connotations.
CONTEXT: The initial narrative about the “ambassador of satanic art” originated with Erin Elmore, a close associate of Trump’s who was appointed director of the Art in Embassies program during his administration, and who stated on a television program (at 19:25) that Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec had left her post in Romania and no longer represented U.S. diplomacy following a visit by Congresswoman Paulina Luna (a supporter of the leader of the extremist party George Simion, a promoter of the MAGA movement in Romania).
The narrative emerged in Romania in January and was initially circulated by R3media, a website belonging to a network associated with AUR and the promotion of the extremist party.
This is not the first time MAGA has demonized the Democrats it opposes, labelling them as “woke” (far-left), and the “Satanism” of Ambassador Kavalec—who was sent to Bucharest during Joe Biden’s term and is associated by some in society with the cancellation of Romania’s elections—is just one episode in the radical right’s public demonization of the American left.
This fake news is being circulated at a time when Donald Trump and the MAGA movement appear to be losing ground amid the protracted war in Iran and the escalation of Israel’s actions in the Middle East, with Trump being a staunch and outspoken supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Experts are increasingly discussing a potential setback that MAGA and Trump—and by extension, the Republicans—could face in the midterm elections, which in the U.S. serve, among other things, as a symbolic barometer of the incumbent president’s popularity.
