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How contemporary artists interpret religion
"La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour)" (1999) by Maurizio Cattelan —
Curator Anda Rottenberg was forced to resign following protests when she displayed this work by artist and provocateur Maurizio Cattelan at the Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw, Poland.
Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" -- which sees a figure of Christ on the cross submerged in urine -- has been repeatedly vandalized by those who find it blasphemous. But in "Art & Religion in the 21st Century," author Aaron Rosen says it could easily be read as a devotional image.
"What better way to meditate on the torments and degradation of Christ -- both in his time and ours -- than to see his form submerged in urine?" he writes.
Courtesy Andres Serrano and Nathalie Obadia Gallery
"Is it for Real?" (2006) by Nazif Topçuoğlu —
Here, Turkish artist Nazif Topçuoğlu restages Caravaggio's "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" (c. 1600) with women.
Ron Mueck, who studied the iconography of the Old Masters during a residency at London's National Gallery, often incorporates religious subjects in his own work. (Here, a young black man is a stand-in for Christ.)
"The Question Mark Inside" (2008) by Martin Firrell —
British artist Martin Firrell projected a number of simple words -- including the Arabic word for "sorrow," seen here -- onto St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Inside the cathedral, he projected comments submitted online.
Courtesy Martin Firrell/Photo Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
"Connexion (Noveau Testament)" (2004-07) by Mounir Fatmi —
"The work plays with a paradox: danger does not seem to lie in reading the Quran alone, but in connecting it with other books. Do you risk explosion in making these connections?" Mounir Fatmi reflects in "Art and Religion."
Courtesy Mounir Fatmi and FNAC, France
"Temptation" (2008) by Awst & Walther —
Husband-and-wife duo Awst & Walther juxtapose the apple and grenade as two destructive temptations.
"Ecce Homo," depicting Christ with a crown of barbed wire, was erected atop the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in 1999. The title refers to Pontius Pilate's words when he presented Christ to the crowds before his death.