Artist Fernando Vaquero Denounces Cyberbullying Over Controversial Poster

omidbasir- Fernando Vaquero, a painter from Seville, has publicly denounced the harassment he has faced following the unveiling of his poster for the Cabalgata de Reyes Magos. The artwork includes a Real Betis jersey alongside a robe from the Hermandad de la Macarena.

The poster depicts a child entering his living room on the morning of the Reyes Magos to discover the gifts left for him, with the robe and jersey prominently displayed to his right.

On his social media platforms, Vaquero has reported experiencing “cyberbullying, insults, and late-night phone threats” from individuals upset that he did not feature a Sevilla FC jersey and a robe from the Esperanza de Triana, another significant religious devotion in the city.

He has expressed that he has endured “various forms of bullying,” leading him to refrain from making any statements to media outlets or responding to comments online. He emphasized that the intention behind his work was never to exclude or divide anyone.

“I aimed to portray how children, in their letters to the Reyes, request various items, including football jerseys. To illustrate this, I drew upon a childhood memory of receiving a Betis jersey as a gift,” Vaquero clarified, noting that he has received “absolutely nothing” in compensation for creating the poster.

He explained that the poster was made “as a sincere gift” to his city, a gesture of affection that, unfortunately, has been misinterpreted by some as a “poisoned gift.” He concluded by acknowledging that while artistic works are open to criticism, the level of harassment he is experiencing is “aggressive, disproportionate, and malicious cyberbullying.”