A Google-Earth-view of Biblical events was presented at an art installation in Miami last week, showing the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat, the crossing of the Red Sea, and the crucifixion of Jesus.
The project, God’s Eye View, was produced by Sydney-based creative team The Glue Society, commissioned by Eric Romano of Pulse Art, New York, for its Miami art fair.
The Sydney Morning Herald quotes Glue Society’s co-founder, Jonathan Kneebone, as saying God’s Eye View was not intended to be a theological statement. “Art has always depicted religious events and this is simply a new way to do it,” he said. “We’re playing with the whole idea that if you can capture something from a satellite it must exist.”
Kneebone described the four pictures as digital “jigsaw puzzles” made by piecing together real satellite images. The picture of the Red Sea, for example, uses photographs of Niagara Falls to create the impression of tonnes of foaming water. The Garden of Eden photograph uses images from Belgium.
“We like to disorientate audiences a little with all our work. And with this piece we felt technology now allows events which may or may not have happened to be visualized and made to appear dramatically real. As a method of representation satellite photography is so trusted, it has been interesting to mess with that trust.”
Heavenly Sanctuary, a Christian conference organisation focusing on the character of God, have stirred public opinion with a set of posters showing Jesus washing the feet of international leaders.
In the poster Jesus kneels at the feet of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former English Prime Minister Tony Blair, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, US president George W Bush, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Jiang Zemin, former president of China.
The poster was designed by Lars Justinen from the Justinen Creative Group for use on posters advertising the conference. Different versions of the posters had captions such as “Follow the Leader,” “God IS Great,” and “Jesus - Still Too Radical?” Heavenly Sanctuary had the posters in several Seattle malls but had to take them down after complaints from the public about the inclusion of Osama Bin Laden in the line up.
Greg Boyd
Greg Boyd reflects on the negative reactions to the poster by suggesting that many Christians have tragically allowed their patriotism to co-opt their faith.
“They have allowed their American citizenship to take priority over their Kingdom citizenship, despite the New Testament’s instruction for disciples to consider themselves “foreigners” and “exiles” wherever they happen to live (Heb. 11:13; I Pet 1:17, 2:11) and to consider their real citizenship “in heaven” (Phil 3:20). Many American Christians seem to want a Jesus who will defend their country and hate their national enemies as much as they do. Many want the Jesus of the Middle Ages whom Crusaders called on to help them slaughter, not serve, their Islamic enemies. Many seem to want to reduce Jesus to just another version of the tribal gods that have been called on for centuries to bless tribal battles. Most wars throughout history have been fought under the banner of some god or another.”
Greg goes on to write about the real Jesus who wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the dirty, smelly feet of people he knew would deny and betray him in a couple of hours.
Kofi Annan
What I find interesting is that Jesus is actually washing Kofi Annan’s feet. The guy who’s been responsible for challenging, rebuking, negotiating, supporting and resourcing world leaders, is the first to have his shoes off and treated to a foot bath by the one many would consider to be the ultimate expression of God’s character in the flesh. The others know that they’re possibly next in line for this treatment. They’re being taught a valuable lesson in leadership and character, a radical alternative to the survival-focused model of rule or be ruled.
Priscilla Bracks, a Brisbane artist, has people talking about Jesus and Osama Bin Laden with her work, “Bearded Orientals”, entered in the Blake Prize for Religious Art competition.
Bracks says that her work is concerned with relationships between contemporary popular culture, and the futures we (for better or for worse) create. It is not intended as a statement but rather as a means to ask questions. In particular, she’s questioning the relationships between media, popular culture, and the development of truth, history and ideology.
“When you observe these two people, Osama Bin Ladin and Jesus, their ethics could not be more different. The only comparison that can be made is historical: both pursued by two of the world’s most powerful armies – the US and the Roman armies. Jesus is clearly defined by history, but I am interested in how history will treat the image of Osama.”
“To me this work is a cautionary tale about our fixation with crime, violence and catastrophe. Access to information is important and there are instances where this has been well balanced with the temptation to sensationalise. No war was declared against the Lockerby bombers. Instead they were extradited and tried for murder amidst media coverage that left few people with a lingering memory of their names. Similarly, Martin Bryant was moved to an inner cell in his Tasmanian prison to ensure his media attention did not turn him into a cult figure like Charles Manson. There is a wisdom in this approach that has been forgotten in the case of Bin Laden, and this lapse may have unintended, unwelcome effects in the future.”
“The controversy surrounding works on exhibition in this year’s Blake prize for Religious Art is an indication of why art is such a powerful means of exploring cultural and religious difference”, claimed Chair of the Blake Prize, Rev Rod Pattenden.
Rev Pattenden said of the controversy, “Whilst I am disappointed with the sensationalist beat up in some parts of the media I think there is a real nerve being hit here. I have received several angry phone calls from people claiming religious allegiance who have expressed themselves with clear hatred and violence towards other religious groups. Art and the Blake prize, in particular, does our culture a service when it can make us aware of our prejudices, out hatreds and the intolerance that sometimes underlies some forms of belief.”
Kevin Rudd and John Howard are both quoted by the media as saying the Bearded Orientals work insults the Christian heritage of Australia.
Andrew Bolt, columnist with Melbourne’s newspaper The Age, claims that the acceptance of the Bearded Orientals work in the Blake Prize competition is an example of the niceness of Christianity - too afraid to stand up for itself.
The dissonance caused by placing the two figures together is what makes this more than just a provocative dig at Christianity. As Bracks suggests, there are deeper issues at stake, regarding the way in which Australia’s engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan will be seen in the fullness of time. Christians have the opportunity to engage in meaningful intelligent conversation here, as do members of the press.
The irony in all of this is that the portrayal of Jesus in the second portrait reveals the domestication of his image. Would Jesus really have been wearing a cross? Carrying one maybe. But not as a fashion statement. And as for hair spray and gold-encrusted robe… Jesus has been made in the image of the original painter’s patrons.
Raoef (or Rauf) Mamedov is a film director based in Moscow, known for his fascinating photographic renditions of well-known Christian pieces of art. Originally from Azerbaidjan, Mamadov worked as a social worker in a pyschiatric hospital before studying at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography. He is now professor at the Institute and is a director for Central Television in Moscow.
Mamedov began work as an artist in 1997 with two photo projects known as “The Last Supper” and “Adam and Eve.” The Last Supper consists of five photographs featuring models with Down’s Syndrome, each posing in positions similar to the characters in the Leonardo Da Vinci mural of the same name. Mamedov continued with the same approach, covering a number of New Testament gospel stories.
Mamedov’s photographs are on display with Silverstein Photography and Lilja Zakirova Gallery. Look out for “Ecce Homo”, “The Betrayal by Judas”, “The Annunciation”, Epiphany, Birth, and Gethsemane scenes.
Anarchist and Christian traditions have often shared a commitment to non-domination, creative cooperation and the equality of all people. Not often has either movement been associated with the other - but anarchist principles can easily identified throughout the Bible story and Church history. Last year a group of people from the ANZAC countries met in New Zealand to explore Christian Anarchism in our context and this year they’re meeting again - and it’s an open meeting! The annual conference of the South Pacific Christian Anarchists (SPCA) will be held in Brisbane, 22-24 June, 2007.
Sessions (subject to some facilitators not being in jail) are likely to include:
Indigenous expressions of anarchy and faith in Aotearoa: Graham Cameron, Urban Vision, NZ
Why anarchists can’t be missionaries: Manu Caddie, Pacific Centre for Participatory Democracy, NZ
Peacemaking at Pine Gap: Jim Dowling and Donna Mulhearn, Christians Against ALL Terrorism, Pine Gap
Christianarchy - Being the Change you want to see in the world: Dave Andrews, Waiters Union, Brisbane
Power With, Power From Within, and Power Over: Jason Macleod, Non-violence activist and trainer, Brisbane
Cosimo Cavallaro, New York sculptor, has decided not to go ahead with the display of his chocolate sculpture, “Jesus, the 485,600 calorie Messiah”. The exhibition was to be opened on Monday April 2 at the Lab Gallery at the Roger Smith Hotel, using 200 pounds of chocolate, donated by the San Francisco based Theo Chocolate Company.
The exhibition is not going ahead because of the flood of complaints that the exhibition was blasphemous, organised largely by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Complaints from Christians in this case have included threats to boycott the hotel and harm those who work there.
So what’s the problem? It appears as though many Christians were offended that Jesus was being portrayed in chocolate. Not only was the body made from food products. Jesus was to be shown naked, anatomically correct. Many sculpures of the crucifixion over time have included a ’shame cloth’. But not all. Perhaps people were worried that the body of Jesus might be eaten. Hmmm.
Bill Donahue, from the Catholic League, labelled the exhibition as “hate speech”, saying that it was just another example of non-Christian attacks on the Church, timed to cast doubts about Jesus during the final week of Lent.
“As I’ve said many times before, Lent is the season for non-believers to sow seeds of doubt about Jesus. What’s scheduled to go on at the Roger Smith Hotel, however, is of a different genre: this is hate speech. And choosing Holy Week - the display opens on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday - makes it a direct in-your-face assault on Christians.
“All those involved are lucky that angry Christians don’t react the way extremist Muslims do when they’re offended - otherwise they may have more than their heads cut off. James Knowles, President and CEO of the Roger Smith Hotel (interestingly, he also calls himself Artist-in-Residence), should be especially grateful. And if he tries to spin this as reverential, then he should substitute Muhammad for Jesus and display him during Ramadan.”
“I am contacting hundreds of organizations about this assault. Our allied list contains scores of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu organizations, as well as secular groups, that share our concerns about religious hate speech and the degradation of our culture. The only thing that those who operate the Roger Smith Hotel understand is when they get hit in the pocket book. So that’s exactly where we’ll hit them. The boycott is on.”
Well, Bill, Martin Luther didn’t die naked on a cross. And neither did Muhammad. I am sure that there are many scupltures of Jesus on display in churches throughout the world this next week. Would you have responded with such venom if one of those sculptures was made of chocolate?
Matt Semmler, Lab Gallery curator, told the Guardian before the cancellation was announced that neither he nor the artist had any intention to offend. “For me this is done a place of reverence and meditation - that’s why I chose the piece. This is not intended to be disrespectful.”
Why do we immediately assume that any attention to Jesus paid by secular artists is meant to be demeaning or mocking? Responding with accusations of ‘hate crime’ has implications of feelings of insecurity and lack of poise. As one commenter wrote at 1010 Wins, “It’s Jesus. It’s chocolate. Do you really think God cares? Live and let live.”
Georges Rouault, French expressionist artist, (1871 - 1958), painted “Crucifixion”, Mixed media on paper and canvas, some time in the 1920s. This is part of a series of paintings focusing on the life and death of Jesus.
The painting was probably bought from Rouault by Parisien Ambroise Vollard who died in 1939. It is likely that the painting was sold by Vollard’s brother to art dealer Martin Fabiani. The painting was bought by the P. D. McMillan Land Company in 1953 and given to MIA on July 14, 1955.
Check out Doug Jaques, an artist based in Austin, Texas. Doug’s site features a number of his Austin murals, water colours and drawings. The painting that drew me to his site was his rendition of Peter’s vision of the unclean animals, found in Acts 10 and Acts 11.
One of the Old Testament lectionary readings for this week focuses on David’s defeat of Goliath, as found in 1 Samuel 17. Some denominations are following Job 38, God speaking in the storm.
Rana Mariem Ghassan is a Palestinian painter, a refugee living away from her homeland. Her most well known painting, David and Goliath, provides an insight into Palestinian resistance. The entire water colour is in black and white except for the stones which are in the colours of the Palestinian flag. It’s not clear who the other figures are, soldiers or fellow Palestinian youths. Neither is it clear whether the hope and future of Palestinians lie in the power of those rocks.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio painted two of the most well known depictions of David with the head of Goliath. What I’ve found fascinating about Caravaggio’s work here is the autobiographical element. Caravaggio was wanted for murder. He had killed a man in a brawl in Rome and was on the run from those who were calling for his arrest and execution. Here he has portrayed himself in the position of Goliath, a hint of his own sense of mortality.
Over at the Da Vinci Code Online, I’ve recently posted on Da Vinci’s paintings, “Madonna of the Rocks” and “Virgin of the Rocks”, hung in the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in London respectively. Da Vinci was commissioned to paint an altarpiece in honour of the immaculate conception of Mary. The painting was to include Mary, Jesus, two prophets and two angels. Da Vinci painted Mary and Jesus in caves, with John the Baptist as an infant along with an angel, Uriel. His commissioners were not happy and ended up with a second modified copy - the one now hung in London.
Duncan Macleod posts on life, faith and culture in Australia, drawing from his involvement in the creative industry, the Uniting Church, the blogosphere, generational research, the emerging church and life on the Gold Coast.
