Andres Serrano

Andres Serrano’s work is so deeply entrenched in controversy that a New York senator exclaimed before congress “this so-called piece of art is a deplorable, despicable display of vulgarity” following this by ripping up Serrano’s latest exhibition catalog. The cause for the congressman’s uproar at Serrano’s art was due to one of his latest pieces, it was a simple but beautiful depiction of the crucifixion, standing five feet tall and portraying Christ sacrifice the photograph should inspire not enrage. It was not the image but the title that was causing problems, titled “Piss Christ” it gives insight to how the photo was made. So what did Serrano mean by creating an image that combined urine with the Savior. Serrano a lifelong Catholic asserts that he did not mean for the image to be sacrilege or to incense congress but that the image is his own way of “redefining and personalizing my relationship with god”. Piss Christ is a loaded piece of artwork with many ways of interrupting it. The presence of the disagreeable bodily fluid indicates that the artist intended to desecrate Christ or raise the ideas of carnal body vs. spiritual practice, human desire vs. personal piety, it would seem reasonable if it didn’t go in direct violation of the catholic doctrine which Serrano so readily upholds as his religion. Other ways of looking at the piece include the fact that Serrano having done religions works before and works that employed bodily fluid in his pieces found combining the two a natural step, and that the use of the bodily fluids demonstrates Serrano does not share out culturally inscribed disgust towards bodily waste. Another common theme for Serrano is the idea of religion in contemporary societies. Piss Christ could simply be commentary on the figurine not the figure represented, that the idea of the marketing of cheap religious artifacts for pay not piety is morally distasteful. Serrano could also be trying to stir up controversy in the name of Christianity, as illustrated in the Bible, Christ was betrayed, disgraced, and tormented during the crucifixion it was an ugly and painful way to die and that today’s christens no longer emphasize with his suffering and that Serrano’s hope is that this symbolic reenactment of Christ humiliation might help reawaken religious adore. So while the image itself contains no inflammatory content, simply depicting an amber light crucifixion some still believe that piss Christ intention is to inflame the public and test the government’s commitment to freedom of expression, but Serrano stands strongly by his photograph as his own tool for understanding and worshiping Christianity as an individual.