Body III - Andres Serrano "Piss Christ" - by Ian

Key works of Andres Serrano:

Piss Christ (1987)

•Title: Piss Christ

•Artist: Andres Serrano

•Year: 1987

•Category: Prints

•Medium: Cibachrome print mounted on Plexiglas

•Dimensions: h: 59.7 x w: 40.6 cm

Shit series:

Heroic Shit (2008)

Romantic Shit (2008)

Deep Shit (2008)

"A History of Sex" Series

Eline (1996)

Key points:
•Abject
–a distinction was made between the “good and proper body” and the “abject”

•Religious aspect
–offensive to Christians
–threatens the identity of conservative Christians
–blasphemous

Quotes from the artist:

1. "The photograph, and the title itself, are ambiguously provocative but certainly not blasphemous."
   
2. "I have always felt that my work is religious, not sacrilegious.”
   
3. "My Catholic upbringing informs this work which helps me to redefine and personalize my relationship with God. "
   
4. "My use of such bodily fluids as blood and urine in this context is parallel to Catholicism's obsession with the body and blood of Christ."

Questions:

1. Do you think Piss Christ (1987) is an anti-Christ artwork?
   
2. To what extent do the artist’s works express the theme of “body”?

My opinion:

• The title of the work causes the problem

• If we do not know that Serrano store his urine in a jar, the work is quite beautiful

• Christ transformed to light by light because the blood and urine burn like a halo and light, as always, light makes it beautiful.