LONDON A wax model of the Pope crushed by a meteorite, a mound of rubbish several feet high and small-scale models of torture victims in Nazi concentration camps all figure in an controversial art exhibition which opens here this week.
"Apocalypse: Beauty and Horror in Contemporary Art," at London's Royal Academy features 13 pieces of contemporary art, ranging from paintings and sculptures to videos. According to AFP, among the more controversial exhibits, a life-sized wax model of Pope John Paul II, in full papal dress, who lies stricken under a large meteorite which has crashed through the glass ceiling of the gallery. The Italian artist responsible, Maurizio Cattelan, a Roman Catholic, insists the work is an expression of his "ambivalence toward his own religion".
Other exhibits include a disturbing set of models by the Chapman brothers entitled "Hell," which depicts thousands of tiny figures in scenes of torture, mutilation and death in Nazi concentration camps. The exhibition also includes a large mound of rubbish which, when bathed in light, casts a shadow image of the two artists responsible on a wall Tim Noble and Sue Webster.
The artists said they began using rubbish because they could not afford proper materials for their work. The exhibition runs from September 23 to December 15. LN32.DOC