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Toy Story in Venice:

Absurd Artwork occupies historic Basilica

If McDonald’s were looking for a new toy to include in their Happy Meals, they would need to look no further than the atrocity currently on display in the 16th-century Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice.

The piece is entitled “Opulent Ascension” and was perpetrated by 74-year-old Irish-American “artist” Sean Scully. It is part of Scully’s ongoing HUMAN exhibition (May 8 – Oct. 13, 2019) and placed directly in the nave of the church, blocking the view to the sanctuary.

Several photos, incl. close-ups, can be seen in the embedded viewer below (it has a scroll function):

Embed from Getty Images

One cannot help but notice certain similarities with the Tower of Babel (see Gen 11:1-9), but there is no need to get theological. Scully himself is happy to explain his work and its background:

The “artist” is also stunning the world with his incredibly meaningful paintings, which include the following that are currently on exhibit in the basement of the same church:

Embed from Getty Images

And to think that other people have to work for a living…

More photos of this profanation of the basilica can be found here.

What does “Pope” Francis think of “Opulent Ascension” in a (formerly) Catholic church? He hasn’t said anything about it, but we surmise he is thrilled. After all, it is colorful (think: diversity!), it profanes the sacred, it keeps people’s thoughts focused on the mundane (cf. Col 3:1-2), and it has nothing to do with Catholicism. But most of all, Scully says his work “is an attempt to release the spirit” and assures us that “[t]here are no certainties in my paintings”.

In other words, it’s all right up Francis’ alley.

Image sources: youtube.com (screenshot) / Getty Images / Getty Images
Licenses: fair use / Getty embed / Getty embed

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