The footballer is seen wearing a crown of thorns and has the current Fifa World Cup trophy at his feet, next to what appears to be the old Jules Rimet trophy. Artist Mr Cotter who created the work said two police officers visited him and told him there had been a complaint that it was causing offence. He agreed to take it down but was last night contacting police again to see under what law they acted.
He said: 'This is not an anti-Christian painting. The point of it is to question who we worship in the 21st century. Is it God or is it people like David Beckham or reality TV stars who get paid millions and are looked up to. I chose Beckham because he is a modern day icon and known the world over. I am commenting on the cult of modern day celebrity.
'Who do we really worship in the 21st Century? In fact the local vicar told me I have done more to open up debate in Folkestone on religion than anyone else for 30 years. I have had complaints but they are outnumbered by the people who have admired it.' The painting has been on show since November. He said Boy George had been in touch to see if he could acquire the work.
2 comments:
It's an interesting piece. The artist's statement about "who do we really worship?" seems to convey only part of what the painting does. The fact that it shows a celebrity crucified and suffering, rather than ascending to heaven or whatnot, is a reminder that while we worship celebrities, we also take some perverse enjoyment from their humiliations(see: Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, et al.).
At first glance, I thought it was one of the "redshirts" from Star Trek.
Not sure if I'd want something like that hanging in my living room, but it makes a legitimate statement. Good art often does. So why were the police after him?
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