photo courtesy of The Associated PressArtist Cosimo Cavallaro has done it again with the resurrection of his controversial work titled "Chocolate Jesus" which will be displayed as part of the "Chocolate Saints....Sweet Jesus show at the Proposition Gallery in Chelsea, New York. Originally displayed last year during the Holy Week, "Chocolate Jesus" is an life-sized, anatomically correct replica sans the loincloth and comprises of 200 pounds of milk chocolate; not the "blue-eyed, porcelain skin" Jesus we are used to seeing. This is not the first time a biblical figure has been depicted in a non-traditional manner. Over a decade ago, award-winning British artist Chris Ofili created his version of The Virgin Mary in which he incorporated elephant feces caused such a stir that then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened to cut all funding to the Brooklyn Museum unless the installation was cancelled. Previously, Cavallaro had received many death threats for his supposedly "attack on the Catholic Church" but this time around those within the religious community are showing support and dissecting the artistic and symbiotic value of this work. Cavallaro states, " There is nothing offensive about this. If my intentions were to offend, if I did do something wrong, I wouldn't be doing this. But I didn't do anything wrong." When did artistic freedom become less than and more political and judgmental? Does he have a hidden agenda or is this purely his artistic freedom?
For more information on this exhibit, visit:
Proposition Gallery
559 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011
212-242-0035
October 27-November 24, 2007
www.theproposition.com/wp/chocolate-saints-sweet-jesus
2 comments:
in-reference to the chocolate Jesus, I think its a mixture of both artist liberation and controversy
, I think they both feed off of each other, my thing is, if it get him the attention he wants to achieve his goal,go for it. I dont think its anything offensive, maybe for those with milk colored skin.
I remember when I read about his plans to do this project earlier this year. It raised so much controversy and buzz. People were really up in arms about it feeling it was offensive and blasphemous. I thought how silly of these people to spend this much time to such a silly arguement.
I am glad he decided to go forth with the project and stay true to who he is aas an artist and his vision.
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