Corporeal Politics: Power, Desire, and the Sacred – Andres Serrano

The three works displayed on this wall are part of Andres Serrano’s renowned Immersions series (1987–1990), which also includes the infamous Piss Christ – a work that provoked considerable controversy among conservative groups in the United States and reignited debates surrounding artistic freedom and censorship.

In this series, the artist immersed inexpensive religious figurines – a Madonna and Child, a white Pope, and a miniature crucifixion scene – in a yellowish-red fluid that he identified as a mixture of his own urine and blood. Illuminated by a warm light, the sacred figures are visually juxtaposed with the organic, abject quality of the liquid.

By producing strikingly aestheticised photographs, Serrano deliberately subverts the sanctity traditionally ascribed to religious objects, which then calls into question the often fetishistic relationship with religious icons. Through Immersions, he critically engages with the visual language and symbolic power of religious representation.

As in his other bodies of work, Serrano interrogates themes of the sacred, the religious, life, and death and employs provocation not as an end in itself, but as a method for inciting critical reflection.