“Fragments of a Crucifixion”
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago | 2019
Curated by Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol
In this FSA Inspirations feature, we want to highlight the MCA’s exhibition Fragments of a Crucifixion. Writes the curator, Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol, in the catalogue introduction to the exhibit: “In bringing voices of faith to bear on artworks, Fragments of a Crucifixion proposes that contemporary art is not so secular a realm that religious and spiritual narratives cannot penetrate it. Centered on works in the MCA’s collection, the exhibition gathers a number of works that may appear to have more to do with race than religion. But the exhibition’s interpretive materials—whether wall labels, public programs, or this publication—aim to reveal the often-invisible religious and spiritual currents that animate these works of art. Doing so connects contemporary artists in the show to a long line of artists who have used the crucifixion as a powerful symbol to address the experience of racial violence in the United States. The exhibition explores the continuing relevance of the sign of the cross, for it is through this sign that contemporary artworks might come into focus as icons, emblems, and relics of public mourning today.”
Exhibition Images
Adrian Piper, "Imagine [Trayvon Martin]," 2013. Digital PNG formatted image.
Titus Kaphar, "Ascension," 2016. Oil on canvas with brass nails.
Paul Pfeiffer, "Fragment of a Crucifixion (After Francis Bacon)," 1999. Digital video loop, projector, and armature; 5 minutes.
Andres Serrano, "Untitled (Knifed to Death I and II)," 1992. Cibachrome.
Ana Mendieta, "Untitled from the Silueta series," 1973–77. Silver dye-bleach print.
