Controversial religious art
1. Decide which religion the art work might offend and why.
2. Do you believe the art work is blasphemous?
3. Should the art work be censored?
4. “Censorship goes against freedom of speech”. Do you agree?
Madonna, Like A Prayer
• Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” was first heard in a Pepsi advert. When the video was released religious groups worldwide protested against the video, which they deemed contained blasphemous use of Christian imagery.
• They called for the national boycott of Pepsi and PepsiCo's subsidiares, including their fast food chains Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Pepsi had decided initially to continue airing their commercial; however, they were taken aback by the protests. They explained the differences between their advertising methods and Madonna's artistic opinions in the video. Ultimately,
Pepsi caved in to the protests, and cancelled the advertising campaign.
• In the meantime, the Pope involved himself in the matter and banned any appearance of Madonna in Italy. Protests from a small Catholic organization in the country prompted Italian state television network RAI and Madonna's
Italian record company WEA to not air the video there.
Lady Gaga, Judas.
• Bill Donahue, president of The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights:"This is a stunt...
Lady Gaga tries to continue to shock Catholics and Christians in general: she dresses as a nun... she swallows the rosary. She has now morphed into a caricature of herself.”
• "She is trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances. Another ex-Catholic whose head is turned around... Is this the only way to jet up her performance”?
Andres Serrano – “Piss Christ”
1987 photo of a plastic crucifix immersed in urine.
Received death threats, hate mail.
April 2011 damaged beyond repair while on display in a museum by Christian activists.
Banksy –
Silent Night
Hello Kitty Nativity
Scene – Tom Sachs
On display in
Barney’s department store at Christmas 1994.
Protests, death threats and hate mail ensued.
Barneys removed the piece.
Oreet Ashery – Self
Portrait as Marcus
Fisher.
Katarzyna Kozyra – Blood
Ties.
This image, along with others were displayed on billboards on the streets of Poland.
They were later censored.
Renee Cox – Yo Mama’s Last Supper.
Annie Sprinkle, Armed
Goddess.
Porn Star, turned performance artist Annie
Sprinkle references the
Hindu goddess of destruction, Kali.
