Blasphemous Painting of Jesus Slashed and Artist Attacked in Italian Church
By Esme Franks
Andrea Sultini, INRI, 2024, CsArt/Museo Diocesano. Image: The Art Newspaper
In a deconsecrated church near Modena, Italy, a work of art by Andrea Sultini was covered with black spray paint and slashed by a masked individual. The aggressor struck the artist with a blade before discarding the knife and fleeing the scene.
The painting is one of 20 mixed media works on canvas, each one showcasing a contemporary twist on various religious themes. For example, Paraclito (2024), painted in the style of the Pietà, replaces the figure of the Virgin Mary with an Astronaut. The work attacked, INRI, painted in 2024, depicts an act of oral sex being performed on the lifeless figure of Christ. Jesus is splayed on his back as Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced his side during the crucifixion leans over his crotch. From an elevated perspective, Longinus' head obscures his genitals while his hand delves into Christ's ribcage. His sprawled and relaxed, limp posture could also resemble a figure responding to a sensation of pleasure, leading to what could be described as humorous ambiguity.
It was on Thursday, 28th March 2024, that the masked individual entered the church and vandalised the work. Saltini approached the individual and tried to stop him, however, this led to being struck on the neck with a knife. It has been reported that Saltini came away from the incident with minor injuries. Giuseppe Chierici, the artist’s lawyer, in a statement asked for “the entire community of Carpi to reflect on the limits of dissent, the right to criticism, the right to freedom of thought.” Even Erio Castellucci, the archbishop of Forli, declined requests to shut down the exhibition, acknowledging the essential right to express one's thoughts without prosecution. However, it is fair to say the general public did not see it this way. The exhibition led to widespread outrage, demanding its closure due to the “blasphemous” nature of the works.
The response brings to mind Chris Ofili's 1996 artwork "The Holy Virgin Mary," which portrays a ‘low-art’ rendition of Mary surrounded by "Putti" made from pornographic cut-outs of female genitalia. The work was also seen as heavily blasphemous, described by the Mayor of New York, Giuliani as “Sick”, and attacked multiple times. However, Ofili stated that when he goes to the National Gallery and sees paintings of the Virgin Mary, he sees how “sexually charged they are. Mine is simply a hip-hop version.” Like Sultini, Ofili wants to provoke and challenge the viewer, subverting our habitual perception of religion.
Personally, I believe the painting adeptly encapsulates the concept of sin; depicting Christ committing sin, yet our contemplation of the artwork evokes a sense of wrongdoing within ourselves. It cleverly intertwines historical and religious moral frameworks, prompting introspection on the nature of sin and its perception. We must challenge our ingrained perceptions of religion and question our morals and beliefs, recalling our ability to interpret and perceive as individuals. Through Sultini's twisted and corrupted interpretations of religion, conveyed through the vehicle of painting, he emphasizes the boundless extent of free speech. As Castellucci, the archbishop stated, the important thing is that “dissent becomes an opportunity for dialogue and debate,” not for “accusation and violence.”
Bibliography:
Tessa Solomon. “’Blasphemous’ Christ Painting Vandalized, Artist Attacked at Exhibition in Former Italian Church.” ARTnews, 2024
James Imam. “’Blasphemous’ painting of Jesus slashed, artist attacked at exhibition in Italian Church.” The Art Newspaper, 2024
Anugrah Kumar, “Artist who created ‘blasphemous’ Jesus oral sex painting stabbed in neck.” The Christian Post, 2024
https://www.christianpost.com/news/artist-stabbed-over-blasphemous-jesus-oral-sex-painting.html
“Chris Ofili, The Holy Virgin Mary, 1996.” MoMA