Day #29 - Greg Semu's "Auto Portrait with 12 Disciples" #Lent2016
ART + RELIGION
By Aaron Rosen
In this photograph, from his series 'The Last Cannibal Supper...cause tomorrow we become Christians', Semu, an artist of Samoan heritage, depicts himself surrounded by Kanak tribesman from New Caledonia. His tableau satirizes stereotypes of indigenous Pacific Islanders, while ironically tossing the charge of cannibalism back at Christians, for who bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ. 'The theme that runs strongly through my work,' writes Semu, 'is cultural displacement, colonial impact on indigenous cultures, particularly [in the] Pacific Islands.' Christian, he says, has both 'saved and paralysed' Pacific Island culture. [page 55]
Lent is the annual Christian preparation for Easter. "Today's Art for Lent2016" features artworks that illustrate the Christian "Battle between Carnival and Lent."
By Aaron Rosen
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| "Auto portrait with 12 Disciples, from The Last Cannibal Supper, Cause Tomorrow We Become Christians" (2010) by Greg Semu | New Zealand/Australia. Digital C-print, 39 3/8 x 112 5/8 inc. |
Lent is the annual Christian preparation for Easter. "Today's Art for Lent2016" features artworks that illustrate the Christian "Battle between Carnival and Lent."
