 |  122797 | Nov 14, 2004 4:02pm | | cboz - cboz - cboz |
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| | | 115453 | Nov 14, 2004 4:03pm | hey... or what about the virgin mary made out of elephant shit
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 1999 -- Curators at the Brooklyn Museum of Art were pleased with the saucy signage that accompanied the September exhibit Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection --- until it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Health Warning: The contents of this exhibit may cause shock, vomiting, confusion, panic, euphoria and anxiety. If you suffer from high blood pressure, a nervous disorder or palpitations, you should consult a doctor before viewing this exhibit."
The exhibit certainly made New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani sick and after he threatened to pull funding from the museum if the show opened, it imperilled the gallery's health.
Giuliani took exception to a painting of a black Virgin Mary by British artist Chris Ofili. Made of paper collage cut out from porn magazines, oil paint, glitter, polyester resin and elephant dung, the mayor called the work an attack on Catholics.
"This is the kind of thing that used to be on 42nd Street before it was rezoned," he said, referring to New York's old sex and porn strip as reported in The Globe and Mail Sept. 29. "It is an aggressive disgusting attack on the Catholic religion."
Elephant dung in some African cultures is a symbol of regeneration. Ofili is of African descent. The porn pictures were cut-out body parts arranged around the painted figure of the virgin like a halo or rosary.
Giuliani never saw the exhibit that toured extensively through Europe without arousing even a peep.
Some media speculated that his outrage was an attempt to curry favour with the powerful New York Catholic vote for his probable race for a Senate seat against First Lady Hillary Clinton next year. |
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