She's been described as the new Tracey Emin, but even that femme terrible would probably fear to tread the territory that Sarah Maple is currently negotiating.

The artist has a new exhibition with a headline picture showing a Muslim woman cradling a pig.

Already, Mokhtar Badri, the vice-president of the Muslim Association of Britain, tells Mandrake that his organisation plans to visit the SaLon Gallery, in Notting Hill, west London, to demand that it remove Maple's painting when it exhibits it next week.

Although we condemn violence, Muslims have a right to express their disgust at this work, he tells me: An artist has the right to free speech and to express him or herself...BUT...people also have the right to protest. She clearly wants to provoke a strong reaction from Muslims and that is what she will get.

Badri explained the upset that would be caused over the image. Muslims believe that all of God's creatures should be treated with respect, but we are taught to keep our distance from pigs because they are unclean. That is why this picture is so offensive to us

Maple, 23, who was brought up as a Muslim, has already evoked Islamic wrath. Her exhibition at Rolling Stone Wood's gallery earlier this year depicted Muslim women in provocative poses, including one suggestively sucking on a banana.

This Artist Blows

SaLon Gallery presents Sarah Maple's first solo show. Preview on 16th October 2008. Open Exhibition until 17th November 2008.

SaLon Gallery 82 Westbourne Grove London W2 5RT

A gallery showing images of veiled Muslims, including a bare-breasted woman partially clad in a burqa, is under police surveillance after being attacked earlier this week.

Windows and doors at the SaLon Gallery in west London were smashed after a series of abusive, anonymous phone calls and angry protests about the images from Muslims. The gallery has complained to police.

The solo exhibition of paintings by Sarah Maple includes a veiled woman holding a pig, which is interpreted by the easily offended as a flagrant disregard of the Islamic ban on eating pork. The show – entitled This Artist Blows – also includes two self-portraits: one of Maple wearing a headscarf has an image of Kate Moss's naked breast attached to it; another shows Maple in a T-shirt bearing the slogan I love jihad. In another, a veiled Muslim woman wears a badge that says I love orgasms.

Last night, Maple, a 23-year-old of Kenyan and British parentage, defended her work, saying she had not meant to cause offence but to explore her Britishness and her Muslim faith. She voiced concern about her safety and said she hoped the exhibition of 39 pictures, which opened this month, would not be taken down before its official closing date of 23 November.

A spokeswoman for SaLon said the gallery in Bayswater, a part of London with a large Muslim population, was receiving about 12 abusive phone calls a day and emails condemning the show. Staff had to call police last week after an angry woman came in to complain. She was in a full burqa and was irate and upset. Her behaviour was quite threatening, added the spokeswoman.

Mokhtar Badri, the vice-president of the Muslim Association of Britain, said that while he thought the exhibition provocative, he defended freedom of expression and condemned any violence inspired by the display: I urged the gallery and the artist to respect the community in the area, but if Muslims see the work and dislike it, it is completely wrong to use any violent expression of that.

Inayat Bunglawala, of the Muslim Council of Britain, agreed: People may well have strong views on the use of Islamic imagery in Sarah Maple's exhibition. However, there can be no justification whatsoever for hooliganism of this sort or issuing threats.

This Artist Blows

SaLon Gallery presents Sarah Maple's first solo show. Exhibition until 17th November 2008. SaLon Gallery 82 Westbourne Grove London W2 5RT

A Muslim artist exhibiting her work at a west London gallery, has received death threats via email.

Staff at SaLon gallery in Notting Hill said they had received violent emails about Sarah Maple and her family.

Gallery director Samir Ceric said he was sad, upset and disappointed at the way art was being treated and called the violent reaction to her work an attack on freedom of expression.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said officers were investigating the damage to the gallery's window but could not comment on the threatening email.

This Artist Blows

SaLon Gallery presents Sarah Maple's first solo show. Exhibition until 16th November 2008. SaLon Gallery, 82 Westbourne Grove, London W2 5RT