Artist Apes Crucifixion in London
Two controversial works by the artist Paul Fryer––a crucified ape and a black Jesus sitting on an electric chair––are on view in a former church in London, reports Andrew Hough for the Daily Telegraph. The pieces are part of a wider exhibition of sixty works that are being shown for two weeks at the former Holy Trinity Church, now known as One Marylebone. The show features sixteen artists and is titled “The Age of Marvelous”; it coincides with the Frieze Art Fair in nearby Regent’s Park.
Organizers say the exhibition is designed to “integrate areas of human knowledge that exist outside the boundaries of traditional art making.” Fryer noted that the gorilla artwork “is a reminder of our collective responsibility to protect those who are least able to protect themselves,” he said. “It features an image which I obviously realize is provocative but which I hope may evoke sadness and compassion as well as outrage.”
Joe La Placa, the curator, defended the exhibition, saying it was designed to inspire people to think and understand “deeper meanings.” The director of All Visual Arts admitted some people would be shocked by the exhibition but rejected suggestions it was designed purely to shock.
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When does the shock tactic fail? At what point does it push more people away than it pulls in? Is it ever too much?
