Andres Serrano, Immersions (Piss Christ), 1987
Andres Serrano, a highly controversial American artist and photographer, is known for his use of obscene objects and materials in his artistic works such as blood, urine, breast milk, semen, and dead animals. (Source 6). His art is influenced by the Surrealism and Dada movements. Serrano’s work is highly controversial and contentious and has caused outrage and protests all over the world because his style of work typically pairs bodily fluids and offensive materials with religious icons (Source 6). In his most notable work, “Immersions (Piss Christ,1987),” Serrano presents a photograph of a plastic crucifix emerged in Serrano’s urine within a large plexiglass tank (Source 6). Serrano examines the juxtaposition between a sacred and praised object against a crude fluid (Source 6). Although “Immersions (Piss Christ)” is highly controversial throughout the world and has been shamed for decades and even vandalized beyond repair, the photograph was incredibly misunderstood. The artist’s intentions, freedom of expression, and the influence “Piss Christ” had on society and the art world, are all factors that need to be examined to fully understand the significant impact and importance of the work.
“Immersions (Piss Christ)” was first submitted for a competition called “Awards in the Visual Arts” and Serrano was selected as one of ten artists to win the award. The winners of the competition were given $15,000 and a traveling exhibit. Where the controversy arose was that some of the prize money was funded by the National Endowment of the Arts which is funded through taxpayer dollars, hence the beginning of the freedom of speech in art as well as the decency in art debate. Conservatives did not feel that the government should fund artistic work deemed offensive with taxpayer monies. Initially, “Piss Christ” went unrecognized until it went on display at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. A fundamentalist right wing Christian organization launched a campaign asking Congress to denounce and defund the National Endowment of the Arts. It became a highly political topic during a time of intense culture wars where issues over family values and abortion, sex, feminism, and homosexuality took center stage in right versus left. Serrano first submitted the photograph for the competition and “never thought that it would prove so controversial.” (source 5). Serrano did not predict the outrage his work would create and he did not intend for it to be
blasphemous or sacrilegious. Need sentence analyzing quote “The crucifix is a symbol that has lost its true meaning; the horror of what occurred. It represents the crucifixion of a man who was tortured, humiliated and left to die on a cross for several hours. In that time, Christ not only bled to death, he probably saw all his bodily functions and fluids come out of him. So if “Piss Christ” upsets people, maybe this is so because it is bringing the symbol closer to its original meaning” (Source 4). Serrano, who was born and raised Catholic, intended for the photograph to make a statement about religion in modern times and maybe even question people’s true intentions within their faith. When a piece of art can evoke emotion and passion within the viewer that is a great accomplishment for an artist. Serrano speaks about how he wants people to be able to interpret his art freely and he states “the work is like a mirror, and it reveals itself in different ways, to different people” (Source 4). “Piss Christ” can reveal different things to each person and each person’s relationship with religion can affect the work’s meaning. Analyze Quote more.
The feelings and emotions “Piss Christ” evokes from people is incredibly important and speaks on behalf of the work. The impulse to suppress free expression in a free society, because the message is unpopular, is a dangerous move. There have been other instances more recently in which controversy over the crucifix and its use in art has received public outcry. In 2010, the Smithsonian Institute removed a video clip by the gay artist David Wojnarowicz of the image of ants crawling on a crucifix. The video was the artist’s expression of anger over his HIV diagnosis and was meant to pay homage to his lover who died of AIDS. The video was removed following complaints by the Catholic League amidst allegations that the video constituted a hate speech against Christianity. (huffpost.com, “Art, Censorship, and the Scandal of the Cross”) Public outcries also emanated from “Ecce Homo” by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin and “My Sweet Lord” by Cosimo Cavallaro just to name a few. (Huffpost.com same article as above) Serrano refers to self-censorship as “a step backward at a time when we need to reassert the importance of free expression by artists, activists, journalists and editors alike” (Source 5). Artists should be able to express their opinions and thoughts without fear of retaliation and shame or threat of physical harm. A successful work of art should make the viewer think, examine, and possibly question their beliefs, morals, and experiences. Talk about that art has the power to speak out and make statements about serious issues such as gender inequality, religion, abortion, gay marriage, drugs, and so on.. “We have only to look to our shared human history to find that the artists and thinkers who have most advanced civilization in the direction of freedom and equality were often unpopular in their day. They questioned, they analyzed, they regularly offended. Without them we would surely be lost” (Source 5). Despite the unpopularity of “Piss Christ” it does have meaning and moves society into a more advanced and accepting mindset. If we allow the government to decide what art we should or should not admire or what constitutes good or bad art, then we open ourselves up to government censorship in other areas or our life. Discuss this in detail: Just because we have freedom of speech and expression, should we use it to the full extent and why? (Source 3,4,5)
“Immersions (Piss Christ)” was honest and showed genuine expression, although, it was especially controversial in the religious communities and many people found it highly offensive. As stated previously, Serrano won an award for “Piss Christ” and “Award recipients were given a traveling exhibition and a $15,000 prize, which was funded by Equitable Life Assurance; the Rockefeller Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropy; and—most importantly in the context of what followed—the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a taxpayer-funded federal endowment” (Source 5). People who disagreed and were offended by the message of “Piss Christ” provided funding for Serrano’s award money through their taxes. “Piss Christ” influenced the art world and inspired artists to push boundaries even further than they had ever gone before (Source 7). Art should push social boundaries and make the viewer question and examine the piece beyond aesthetics. Maybe discuss how it opened up discussion for abortion and other controversial topics “Piss Christ” had a dual legacy, first in the art world, and then with its mark on legislation. In 1998 the decency-standards law that impacted federal funding of art was upheld by the Supreme Court. This ruling was greatly influenced by the debate raised by “Piss Christ” (Source 7). The law requires that the NEA must consider “general standards of decency” when awarding art grants. The Supreme Court held that the law did not infringe on the First Amendment. (Tiff: this was the 100 photos.time.com source) Created the same year as Piss Christ, these works took on a politicized element because of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and the possibility of infection through bodily fluids. However, Serrano’s works are not meant to arouse fear; Piss and Blood are highly seductive, purely abstract images.
Despite people’s criticisms of Serrano’s art, specifically, “Piss Christ,” the piece still creates debate and heated discussion even today. As recent as the Obama administration, protesters rallied President Obama with requests to forbid the “Piss Christ” exhibit in New York City at the Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery. (newyorkessays.com) As crude as “Piss Christ” seems to many conservative politicians and religious leaders, the art is still impactful, relevant, and continues to provoke emotion more than three decades later. An artwork that doesn’t create emotion within the viewer quickly dies but “Piss Christ” did the opposite. In fact, the battle over “Piss Art” is what contributed to its fame. Art doesn’t always have to create feelings of joy and happiness. If art can inspire a person to question and challenge their own judgements and beliefs, like “Piss Christ,” then the work is considered successful. Serrano did not intend to disgrace but rather meant to show “how commercialized the Christian icon has become in contemporary culture”. (newyorkessays.com I am not sure this was one of your sources) Some have labeled the urine as a symbol of realism and the crucifix, a religious icon, as a symbol of idealism. (same source as above) Discuss impact of work and the meaning of intentions. Use Pablo Picasso Quote about the intentions of art. Not only did “Piss Christ” possess a deeper meaning that many people are unable to understand and accept but the photograph inspired future artists to push social and political boundaries and helped shape the artworld. Artists “map the culture and tell us where we stand. In doing so, artists are a free society’s greatest advocates and its best bulwarks. Their triumphs are civilization’s triumphs.” (I found this quote in Salon.com “Artists must be free to live: “Piss Christ”, Charlie Hebdo and the dangers of self-censorship by Serrano)