Art and the unholy trinity

Published on September 30, 2010 by The Editor · No Comments

Mark Hodge recalls three modern artworks hated by the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has never taken kindly to parodies of its icons or beliefs; from John Lennon saying “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus”, Monty Python’s Life of Brian to Madonna’s Like A Prayer video.

However, the world of modern art has pushed the Vatican’s buttons like no other. Here is a list of the top three that has had the Pontiff in a tiff;

Piss Christ by Andres Serrano.
This is a photograph of a small crucifix submerged in a glass full of the artist’s urine and blood.

Firstly the image is quite beautiful and it was Serrano’s desire to draw attention to the ambiguity and commercialisation of religion.

Exhibited in 1989, it was branded blasphemous by critics who were further appalled that Serrano was commissioned $15,000 of taxpayers’ money. The piece was eventually vandalised in the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.

Renee Cox’s Yo Mama’s Last Supper.
Depicts 12 men (11 black, one white) and a naked black woman (the artist herself) posing in the style of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. The depiction of Cox as Jesus, standing with arms open, drew praise and criticism in equal measure. However, New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani detested Yo Mama’s Last Supper and set up a ‘decency commission’ to review art’s moral content.

Chris Ofili’s Holy Virgin Mary.
Another work funded by the city of New York. It depicts a black Mary surrounded by cut-outs of blaxploitation films and female genitalia. All finished off with a coating of elephant dung.

Mayor Guiliani had a field day with this. Funding for the Brooklyn Museum of Art where the picture was displayed, was withheld for a time.

The only question this reporter would have for Chris Ofili is: elephant dung! Was it really necessary? Let’s face it, it’s hard to justify throwing animal shit on any kind of painting.

Should anything go so far as modern art is concerned? Or are exhibits like the ones described a puerile waste of time?

Mark Hodge is a WowdeWow editor