Friday, April 6th, 2007
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.
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Tags: Art, religious art, Spirituality
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Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007
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
Register your interest at www.anz.Jesusradicals.com
The painting included here is by José Clemente Orozco, a Mexican muralist who was concerned about the violent effects of the Mexican revolution.
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Tags: Art, Australia, Mission, Pacific, peacemaking, Reconciliation, religious art, Social Justice, Spirituality
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Saturday, March 31st, 2007
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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Tags: Art, chocolate, religious art, Spirituality, Theology
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