Wednesday, April 08, 2009

A little cross

Actually, it's not a little cross that has caused a few people to get more than a little cross. It's a life-sized work entitled "Naked Woman on Cross" by sculptor Mitch Mitchell who says it is meant to portray the suffering of women around the world. In a report in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Mitchell says he has travelled to 35 countries and found downtrodded women in all of them. Alas, one church leader suggests that he's confused the imagery. Said Francis McNab, St Michael's Uniting Church chief minister "... it's a shame he chose to sexualise it by the use of a younger female. Older woman had to suffer longer and much more." However, it's doubtful that even the depiction of an older woman would have made the work more palatable to some. Perhaps it would have caused less of a stir if it hadn't gone on public display so close to Easter. It would be interesting to know if it would be more culturally acceptable in places like the Philippines, a country with a large Christian influence but which sees some young men physically crucifying themselves each Easter.

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