The Cosimo Cavallaro “Chocolate Jesus” front page art story has been kicked around like a confectionery political football since Wednesday. The religious side has spoken, as has the free speech cadre.
One makes allusions to the Mohammed cartoons while the other retorts with white vs black chocolate observations. I am more interested in what everyone else thinks about this more then the sum of the news itself. Since this is just the same type of front page story the fine art’s get year in and out just with different mediums or iconography each time.
While you are writing your POV listen to the even older Chocolate Jesus by Tom Waits.
Operations Manager at Bad at Sports
Christopher Hudgens is the Operations Manager for BaS and works in various other capacities for other organizations in the Chicago Art & Culture scene. Most recently as Business Operations Manager for the Bridge Art Fair and currently an advocate for all things art & technology.
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Here is a second video that is more humorous but more importantly where do you come down on this yearly flash in a pan story?
I just can’t believe that people are *still* getting pissed off about this stuff. I mean, c’mon, it’s a chocolate jesus. it’s not a chocolate jesus fucking mary magdalene up the ass with a torah.
It just doesn’t seem like a disrespectful or offensive piece (with the elephant dung w/ the virgin mary [Ofili], you could at least see what they were talking about, even if it was uninformed criticism that ignored the cultural framework of the artist) …I just fail to see how the chocolate-ness of it makes it controversial. It even looks like a pretty taut-with-emotion sculpture; i was expecting a pop-y chocolate-bunny-style jesus, but it looks much more Grunewald than Koons. It seems to function well on so many levels (race, the commercialization of easter, transubstantiation, the metaphor of being saccharine, the ironies of love, the heisenbergian inability to touch the sculpture without destroying it with the very heat of our bodies, etc., etc), and to take its subject matter seriously, not treating it in a casual or unaware manner.
all that aside, my favorite comment was a quote in the ny daily news:
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Ernest Anthony, 21, an office worker from Flatbush, said it’s disrespectful. “God wouldn’t appreciate a chocolate shrine of Jesus.”
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Well, it’s good that we’ve got the big man down on record. Pity we didn’t ask him about something a little more important while we had him on the line. (And really, “Earnest” Anthony?? Were Serious Simon and Pious Paul unavailable for comment?)
oy.
I find this sort of thing trite, boring, pointlessly trying to be sensational, and student grade.
For shame Cosimo Cavallaro, for shame.
oh c’mon richard, you know you want to break off and eat some chocolate jesus dick.
here is one that is from an “undergraduate expedition” in Chicago: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=F65B2AAEF6629DB673B113A36C9E0926?contentId=2817384&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
Now, Brad, I didn’t say *that*. I’m always up for chocolate Jesus dick as a lite snack.
The Obama piece beats the hell out of the chocolate Jesus piece.
Oh i agree the Obama as Catholic Jesus is way better.
What annoyed me the most about the whole Chocolate Jesus is that he was “shocked” indeed “shocked” that it was meet with a negative reception by the Catholic League and a handful of other religious organizations. If he didn’t want the outrage, use a loincloth if he did keep the loincloth off and piss them off just don’t act the victim.
You know, it’s a shame that the sculpture is not considered offensive by EVERYONE – not just catholics or Christians. It’s an UGLY naked depiction of a HOLY MAN. Think of what that says about soceity. What does it say to our kids, teenagers? Let’s lay aside the fact that Christians do consider Him God and worship Him – how about the fact that He is respected worldwide as a chosen one of God, and one to be emulated. Is it then decent to exhibit a naked sculpture of Him.
May God forgive everyone that even considers this as being okay. The fact is, Jesus taught us that the battle belongs to God, and He will judge and fight for Himself, all we can do is stand up for the truth.
I think the sculpture, as well as its exhibition, is outrageous. Did I mention how ugle the think looks, yet?