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| '''''Piss Christ''''' is a 1987 photograph by ] ]. It depicts a small plastic ] submerged in a glass of the artist's ]. The piece was a winner of the ]'s "Awards in the Visual Arts" competition,<ref> {{cite web |title=NEA's Cloudy Future |last=Johnson |first=Jennifer |work=] |url=http://monitor.net/monitor//9804a/nea.html | accessdate=2006-02-15 | date=1998-04-09}} </ref> which is sponsored in part by the ], a ] agency that offers support and funding for artistic projects. | |||
| == Reception == | |||
| The piece caused a scandal when it was exhibited in 1989, with detractors, including ] ] and ], outraged that Serrano received $15,000 for the work, part of it from the taxpayer-funded ]. Serrano received death threats and hate mail, and lost grants due to the controversy.<ref name="HighPerformance">{{cite web |url=http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2002/09/shooting_the_kl.php |work=Community Arts Network | title=Shooting the Klan: An Interview with Andres Serrano |last=Fusco |first=Coco |year=1991 |month=Fall |publisher=CommunityArtsNework|publisher=]}}</ref> The work was vandalized at the ], ], and gallery officials reported receiving death threats in response to ''Piss Christ''.<ref name="LivingWater">{{cite web |url=http://www.martinrothonline.com/lw10.htm |work=Living Water to Light the Journey | title=Chapter 10: When Blasphemy Came to Town|last=Roth |first=Martin |year=1999 |publisher=MartinRothOnline.com}}</ref> Supporters argued the controversy over ''Piss Christ'' is an issue of ] and ]. | |||
| Others alleged that the government funding of ''Piss Christ'' violated ].<ref name="LawText" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poppolitics.com/articles/2001/04/04/Holy_Art PopPolitics.com |title=Holy Art (!) |last=Catapano |first=Pete |date=2004-04-01|publisher=PopPolitics Media |work=PopPolitics.com}}</ref> | |||
| Sister ], an art critic and Catholic ], stated in a television interview with ] that she regarded the work as not blasphemous but a statement on "what we have done to Christ": that is, the way contemporary ] has come to regard ] and the values he represents.<ref> {{ cite journal | title=A consecrated critic — profile of popular television art critic Sister Wendy Beckett | work=Art in America | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_n7_v86/ai_21113230/pg_2 | journal=] | accessdate=2007-09-05 |first=Eleanor |last=Heartney | month=July | year=1998}} </ref> | |||
| During a retrospective of Serrano's work at the ] in 1997, the then ], ], sought an injunction from the ] to restrain the National Gallery of Victoria from publicly displaying Piss Christ, which was not granted. Some days later, one patron attempted to remove the work from the gallery wall, and two teenagers later attacked it with a hammer.<ref></ref> The director of the NGV cancelled the show, allegedly out of concern for a ] exhibition that was also on display at the time.<ref name="LawText">{{cite journal |last=Casey |first=Damien |year=2000 |month=June |title=Sacrifice, Piss Christ, and liberal excess. |journal= |url=http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/dacasey/Serrano.html |format=Reprint |accessdate= 2009-09-02}}<!-- alternate URL: http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/dacasey/Serrano.htm --></ref> | |||
| ''Piss Christ'' was included in "Down by Law," a "show within a show" on identity politics and disobedience that formed part of the 2006 ]. The ] documentary ''Damned in the USA'' explored the controversy surrounding ''Piss Christ''. | |||
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| == References == | |||
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Revision as of 19:50, 11 July 2010
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Piss Christ is a 1987 photograph by photographer Andres Serrano. It depicts a small plastic crucifix submerged in a glass of the artist's urine. The piece was a winner of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art's "Awards in the Visual Arts" competition, which is sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a United States Government agency that offers support and funding for artistic projects.
Reception
The piece caused a scandal when it was exhibited in 1989, with detractors, including United States Senators Al D'Amato and Jesse Helms, outraged that Serrano received $15,000 for the work, part of it from the taxpayer-funded National Endowment for the Arts. Serrano received death threats and hate mail, and lost grants due to the controversy. The work was vandalized at the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, and gallery officials reported receiving death threats in response to Piss Christ. Supporters argued the controversy over Piss Christ is an issue of artistic freedom and freedom of speech.
Others alleged that the government funding of Piss Christ violated separation of church and state.
Sister Wendy Beckett, an art critic and Catholic nun, stated in a television interview with Bill Moyers that she regarded the work as not blasphemous but a statement on "what we have done to Christ": that is, the way contemporary society has come to regard Christ and the values he represents.
During a retrospective of Serrano's work at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1997, the then Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, George Pell, sought an injunction from the Supreme Court of Victoria to restrain the National Gallery of Victoria from publicly displaying Piss Christ, which was not granted. Some days later, one patron attempted to remove the work from the gallery wall, and two teenagers later attacked it with a hammer. The director of the NGV cancelled the show, allegedly out of concern for a Rembrandt exhibition that was also on display at the time.
Piss Christ was included in "Down by Law," a "show within a show" on identity politics and disobedience that formed part of the 2006 Whitney Biennial. The BBC documentary Damned in the USA explored the controversy surrounding Piss Christ.
See also
References
- Johnson, Jennifer (1998-04-09). "NEA's Cloudy Future". Albion Monitor. Retrieved 2006-02-15.
- Fusco, Coco (1991). "Shooting the Klan: An Interview with Andres Serrano". Community Arts Network. High Performance Magazine.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Roth, Martin (1999). "Chapter 10: When Blasphemy Came to Town". Living Water to Light the Journey. MartinRothOnline.com.
- ^ Casey, Damien (2000). "Sacrifice, Piss Christ, and liberal excess" (Reprint). Law Text Culture. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
{{cite journal}}: External link in|journal=|month=ignored (help) - Catapano, Pete (2004-04-01). PopPolitics.com "Holy Art (!)". PopPolitics.com. PopPolitics Media.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - Heartney, Eleanor (1998). "A consecrated critic — profile of popular television art critic Sister Wendy Beckett". Art in America. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
{{cite journal}}: More than one of|work=and|journal=specified (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)