Postkiwi

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.”

See Darren Wright’s connection to the Tom Waits song, Chocolate Jesus.

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