Artist calls controversial piece at Fredericton art gallery ‘religious work of art’

An art gallery in Fredericton is displaying a controversial piece.

Almost four decades after American artist Andres Serrano created a controversial photo of a crucifix submerged in his own urine, he is standing by the image as a culmination of his experiences up to that point.

“Piss Christ was a reflection of my life as an artist and also as a Christian,” he said.

“I’ve been a Christian all my life, I was born and raised a Catholic, so you could say Piss Christ is a religious work of art coming from Andre Serrano,” he added.

Created in 1987, the photo called Piss Christ (Immersions) has been subject to controversy for decades.

In 2011, the image was vandalized by protestors in France, leaving cracks in the glass where Christ’s head was. Serano decided to leave the damage on the print.

“I felt like, you know, in a way that it created another piece. And so that’s why I’m happy for it to be on display,” he said.

“This is an image of our God”

Since the Beaverbrook Art Gallery announced the exhibit mid-June, it’s been raising concerns locally.

Natasha Mazerolle, a spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John, said the display was a shock to her and members of her community.

“If it was an image of your loved one or my loved one that was immersed in urine and displayed publicly for people to look at, there’s a certain amount of shock there and difficulty. For Christians, this is our God, this is an image of our God,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.

And she wasn’t the only one to raise objections to the gallery showing the art.

New Brunswick conservative MP John Williamson took to Facebook to denounce the exhibit, saying the gallery was recycling controversy.

“It was once transgressive, but no longer. It is not great art in any serious sense. It is a photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine,” he said in the post.

The executive director of the gallery, Bernard Doucet, said the intention of the exhibit was not to disrespect anyone, and that it’s instead part of the gallery’s focus on ecclesiastical art.

“Because an experience with art is such a deeply personal experience, it’s really impossible for me to comment on any individuals’ response to any work of art, frankly,” he said.

But Mazerolle argued there are other religious works of art the gallery could have used instead.

“If the goal is to launch a series that focuses on religious and ecclesiastical art, profaning the sacred isn’t the way to accomplish this. Again, there’s a dignity that needs to be held at every step of the way,” she said.

While for Serrano, he hopes people will make their own decisions.

“As an artist, you always want people to see your work and to judge and decide for themselves,“ he said.

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