My Sweet Lord

irishrosem · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:02 am Post subject: My Sweet Lord

Quote:
The Easter season unveiling of an anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ, dubbed “My Sweet Lord” by its creator, has infuriated Catholics preparing to observe some of their holiest days of the year.

The 6-foot sculpture by Cosimo Cavallaro was to debut Monday evening, four days before Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The final day of the exhibit at the Lab Gallery inside Manhattan’s Roger Smith Hotel was planned for Easter Sunday.

“This is one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever,” said Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League, a watchdog group. “It’s not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing — to choose Holy Week is astounding.”

I can understand Christian groups being hostile towards this sculpture. There's lots of "art" to which I am hostile. However, the statement that there is an additional problem with the choice of Holy Week to display the sculpture reeks of the privileging of religion. Do Christians own the week between their Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday? A week that changes on the calendar from year to year.

The picture is pretty disturbing looking, in an awesome way. I wouldn't mind seeing it up close--now trying to figure out if I can finagle a day trip to NYC next week. I wonder if I could even get into the gallery now with this kind of press.

Loricat · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:23 am Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

Ooh. good story. Thanks. , I posted it on my blog and quoted you, rose. Hope you don't mind.

Lori

"All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs to their deeds."

Loricat's Book Nook
Celebrating the Absurd

Mr. Pessimistic · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:04 pm Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

I would just love to witness the person who gets to make the nads "melt in his/her mouth"!

I'm not saying it's usual for people to do those things but I(with the permission of God) have raised a dog from the dead and healed many people from all sorts of ailments. - Asana Boditharta (former booktalk troll)

The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.

What is all this shit about Angels? Have you heard this? 3 out of 4 people believe in Angels. Are you F****** STUPID? Has everybody lost their mind? - George Carlin

I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

irishrosem · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:46 pm Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

I've been giving this sculpture a little more thought. It really is interesting. From the picture, it looks like it is supposed to be anatomically accurate. So here is a pretty realistic sculpture of a man. The depiction is eerie, even in a picture. I can't imagine how much more amazing it would be to stand in the room with it suspended above you. And then, while staring at this disturbing, suspended figure that is supposed to depict a crucified man, your sense of smell is consumed by the scent of chocolate. So while your sense of sight is absorbed in this alarming physical depiction, your sense of smell is absorbed with the distinct and pleasurable, even nostalgic, experience of chocolate. Weird.

::97

It only works if you see it in person though.

irishrosem · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 3:26 pm Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

And now that would no longer be possible.

Chocolate Jesus exhibit canceled after uproar.

Quote:
The hotel and the gallery were overrun Thursday with angry phone calls and e-mails about the exhibit. Semler said the calls included death threats over the work of artist Cosimo Cavallaro, who was described as disappointed by the decision to cancel the display.

"In this situation, the hotel couldn't continue to be supportive because of a fear for their own safety," Semler said.

That's a relatively Christian way to handle your anger, don't you think?

irishrosem · Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:12 pm Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

I wrote the gallery to express my anger at the removal of this exhibit. If anyone else is interested in doing the same here's the email address: rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com

Here's my letter:

Quote:

I am disappointed that The Lab Gallery so readily caved to pressure from Christian groups about a piece of art that has yet to be viewed by the public. I understand there is a need to protect from threats; however, I imagine The Lab would have been aware of the distaste this exhibit was likely to attract, and would be ready for the onslaught of Christian malice.

This, to me, reeks of just another case of religious privileging—if Christians don’t like it then it disappears. I always hoped art in the U.S. would rise above such censorship, especially in NYC. I guess I was wrong. It is not just the artist and his audience that suffers from the withdrawal of this exhibit. We all become a little less when anyone shirks the opportunity to resist ignorant and intolerant groups.

With sincere disappointment,

Rosemary Auge

Chris OConnor · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:12 am Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

Your letter is worded nicely and it would be interesting to see their reaction when reading it.

Loricat · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:37 am Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

I'm with rose on this -- I think it would have been a wonderfully off-setting sensual experience to see this exhibit. What the religio-nazis probably are upset about is not that their icon has been rendered in chocolate (I mean, they do already eat his holy blood & body), but that it points out how another of 'their' (co-opted) religious holidays has come to mean nothing more than coloured eggs and rabbits delivering chocolate.

And, if anyone's interested, there's some animated discussion happening at my blog post as well.

"All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs to their deeds."

Loricat's Book Nook
Celebrating the Absurd

Frank 013 · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:09 pm Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

This is just sad, but confirms much of what the anti-religious members of this site have been saying for a long while now.

Later

irishrosem · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 1:36 am Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

Loricat:and quoted you, rose. Hope you don't mind.

No problem. I just posted something on your blog, hope I didn't make any blogging taboos. I'm a blogging virgin, you were my very first

.

I sent an op-ed over to the NY Times, even though I don't think it will get any serious consideration--the story just isn't big enough. I had, briefly, tried to quickly organize a demonstration in protest, I just don't have enough atheist contacts to pull something like that together on such short notice. And my old theater group that would have probably went along on any other day (you know the whole art censorship thing), are in the middle of production. So I typed up a quick op-ed to feel like I, at least, tried to do a little something.

George Ricker · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: My Sweet Lord

It's too bad they canceled the exhibit.

Think of the communion service they could have held once it closed.

::204

George

"Godlessness is not about denying the existence of nonsensical beings. It is the starting point for living life without them."

Godless in America by George A. Ricker


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