Crowning - a sculpture of the Virgin Mary by Esther Strauss
Photo: St. Mary's Cathedral / Franz Wurzinger
I.
As a rule, I wouldn't normally support the vandalism or destruction of an artwork.
But I'm tempted to make an exception in the case of a sculpture by Esther Krauss [1] depicting the Virgin Mary giving birth and displayed in a cathedral in the Austrian city of Linz as part of an installation concerned with issues around women's roles and gender equality.
I'm not a Catholic and I don't think the work blasphemous or abominable.
But it is undeniably obscene and its installation was deliberately designed in order to provoke - as the vicar for education, art and culture in the Linz diocese openly confessed [2] - so perhaps no surprise then that someone who takes their faith seriously and found the work grossly objectionable should take action.
II.
It's probably an age thing, but one grows increasingly weary of militants such as Ms. Krauss masquerading as artists who seem to believe their political convictions allow them to disregard the religious or cultural sensibilities of others.
Arguing that whilst most works depicting the Blessed Mother have been made by men - and therefore often serve patriarchal interests - Krauss goes on to say that her intention was simply to emphasise the materiality of giving birth.
For Krauss, removing the head from her sculpture was an act of brutal violence and "an expression of the fact that there are still people who question women's right to their own bodies" [3]. Ironically employing phallologocentric language, she has called for very firm measures to be taken and the police are now investigating.
Notes
[1] On her personal website - click here - Esther Strauß describes herself as a performance artist and writer, who, above all, loves to carry out light-hearted experiments; such as sleeping for a night on Anna Freud's couch at the Sigmund Freud Museum in London, or digging up the grave of her grandfather with her bare hands and then stripping naked so that she might cover herself with the excavated soil and mud.
[2] Please give a slow handclap to the Rev. Johann Hintermaier.
[3] Strauss was quoted in a Vatican City Associated Press report that was published in The Guardian (2 July 2024): click here.
