Pope Benedict Stops Frog Threat

Pope Benedict took the time this week to focus on one of the worlds largest menaces to civilized culture and faith, Martin Kippenberger’s Zuerst die Füsse.

The Green Frog measuring 4 ft. in height who is holding a mug of beer in one hand and a egg in the other while being crucified has been a thorn in the side of of the Church for over a decade. John Paul may have turned a blind eye to it’s existence at the Museion museum in the city of Bolzano but Benedict has had enough.

It is such an agregious work that Franz Pahl, the president of the regional government, being so enraged by the sculpture he went on hunger strike to demand its removal and consequently ended up in hospital during the summer.

“Surely this is not a work of art but a blasphemy and a disgusting piece of trash that upsets many people,” he told Reuters before the start of the board meeting.

In a letter of support for Pahl, the Vatican said the sculpture “wounds the religious sentiments of so many people who see in the cross the symbol of God’s love”.

Pope Benedict has set his sights on eliminating kitsch filled religiously sarcastic art, sexual abuse scandals and world genocide……… In that order and I applaud his steadfast dedication to this struggle and thank him from protecting me and others from religious work such as this and the “Where’s Waldo/Jesus” series, that really gets my mind a questioning.

Buddha sells for $14.3mil, Breaks Japansese Art Record

A newly discovered wooden sculpture of a Buddha that had religious objects sealed in its torso for 800 years sold for $14.3 million, setting a world record for any Japanese work of art, Christie’s auction house said.

The seated figure of Dainichi Nyorai, or the supreme Buddha, is attributed to Unkei, considered one of the two best sculptors of the early Kamakura period in the 1190s, when the most highly regarded Buddhist art was produced.

It was purchased at auction Tuesday by Mitsukoshi Ltd., one of Japan’s major department stores. Its presale estimate was $1.5 million to $2 million.

The Buddha, made of Cyprus wood, sits in a lotus position wearing princely attire, a crown and jewelry, and hair in a topknot. It is believed to have come from a temple during the Meiji period (1868-1911) when Shinto was adopted as the state religion of Japan, Christie’s said. [Read more]

Episode 84: Elkins-Morgan-Edmar

This week’s show is top notch, grade A stuff, Jack, and you sure don’t want to miss it. Art, religion, smurfs, Dungeons and Dragons, Duncan rattling on like an old man about how kids today just don’t understand punk rock, AND the show closes with Richard’s favorite music cue in the entire run of the program, a little pop diddy on Marx and Mao. A show with something for everyone.

Duncan and Terri talk to James Elkins and David Morgan about the forthcoming roundtable…

On April 17, SAIC professor and critic James Elkins reignites the discussion with the
provocative Re-Enchantment Roundtable. The roundtable and associated events gather
together secular and religious thinkers who rarely share discourse: artists, scholars and
art critics—and religionists interested in art. Panelists will include Thierry de Duve,
Gregg Bordowitz, David Morgan, Kajri Jain, Tomoko Masuzawa, and Wendy Doniger.
The day long discussion is intended to span the full diversity of opinions, from those
who think contemporary art is already “religious,” to those who believe art should have
nothing to do with religious faith.

Duncan and Edmar discuss the Lumpen Juggernaut’s new building project and HQ, the Version festival, art madness on the river and Half-Elves that are chaotic good.

Hot damn.

[Read more]