J.D. Vance, Elon Musk among critics of Canterbury Cathedral’s graffiti-style art show

A new graffiti-style exhibition at Canterbury Cathedral is sparking debate, even causing a stir in US President Donald Trump’s Maga sphere

Reading Time:2 minutes

Poet Alex Vellis poses inside Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, southeast England, on October 16, 2025, where graffiti-style artworks are currently being displayed as part of an exhibition. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:15pm, 21 Oct 2025

Forget the adage that “cleanliness is next to godliness”. Graffiti – of a sort – is now welcome at the spiritual home of global Anglicanism in southeast England, much to the ire of US Vice-President J.D. Vance.

A new exhibition of graffiti-style artworks posing ordinary people’s questions to God now adorns the hallowed walls of Canterbury Cathedral and is sparking controversy all the way from southeast England to Washington.

Featuring eternal human queries like “Why all the suffering?” and “Are you there?”, they mark the pillars and walls of the crypt of the sixth-century cathedral in Kent, southeast of London.

The scrawls, some black and white and others brightly coloured, contrast with the grand stone edifices and stained-glass windows.

Poet Alex Vellis poses inside Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, southeast England, where graffiti-style artworks posing the questions of ordinary people to God are displayed. Photo: AFP

Exhibition curator Jacquiline Creswell says she would love visitors “to spend some time looking at the questions, trying to understand the questions”.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x