Al Farrow’s Reliquaries

Trigger Finger and two Ribs of Santo Guerro (detail).

Amazing sculpture from Al Farrow’s Reliquaries series. Gun parts, bullets and bones, about which the artist says this:

I am not a gun person. My fascination with guns is with their function and use. It is the ubiquitous presence, seeming necessity and actual accessibility of guns in our culture that inspires my investigation. I am interested in their impact on society and cultures: Past, Present (and Future).

I do not personally use guns (Except as a medium for making art), so I was amazed at the availability of gun related paraphernalia when I started to accumulate supplies for this body of work.

I am also perpetually surprised by the historical and continuing partnership of war and religion. The atrocities committed in acts of war absolutely violate every tenet of religion, yet rarely do religious institutions speak against the violations committed in the name of God. Historically, Popes have even offered eternal salvation to those who fought on their behalf (The crusades, etc.).

In my constructed reliquaries, I am playfully employing symbols of war, religion and death in a facade of architectural beauty and harmony. I have allowed my interests in art history, archeology and anthropology to influence the work. The sculptures are an ironic play on the medieval cult of the relic, tomb art, and the seductive nature of objects commissioned and historically employed by those seeking position of power.

And when you’ve looked through the small pieces, there’s the cathedral…

Previously on { feuilleton }
• Guillaume Bijl’s buried church