A long term relationship with death. Una larga relación con la muerte

Closeness to death is a sad experience, at least in most cultures. But being a whole life dealing with death must be terrible. Accidents, major surgeries, lots of bad diagnosis, miscarriages.... in one single life. Like Frida Kahlo's, who knew how to make fun of her friend Death, having it converted into shocking art, until they finally embraced. I made this composition with a beautiful portrait and a Day of the Dead maraca I have at home, there's light in between to make it ethereal, somehow.

La cercanía a la muerte es una triste experiencia, al menos en la mayor parte de las culturas. Pero tener una vida entera lidiando con la muerte, debe ser terrible. Accidentes, cirugías mayores, cantidad de diagnósticos malos, abortos... en una sola vida. Como la de Frida Kahlo, quien supo burlar a su amiga ¨Muerte,¨ convirtiéndola en arte shockeante, hasta que finalmente se abrazaron. 

Hice esta composición con un bonito retrato de Frida y una maraca del Día de los Muertos que tengo en casa, hay luz de lámpara entre ambos, para hacerlo de alguna forma etéreo.

Welcome back Gonzalez. Bienvenido de regreso Gonzalez

This display at the Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos in Olvera st, Los Angeles, shows the happiness of receiving Gonzalez's soul again. All the things that Gonzalez liked are displayed here, being the Virgin the only serious character in the altar.

Urban Jesus. Jesús urbano

The Crucifixion out of context, with the cemetery constructions and the electrical pole behind. Anyway, it seems dramatic to me. My picture from the Cemetery of the Mission of Santa Barbara, CA

Controversy over Adolf Hitler statue in Warsaw ghetto

Photograph: Czarek Sokolowski/AP

I´m pretty sure when an artist´s work is so controversial, that´s why because the artist is looking for FAME.  So many themes, beginning with Jesus....

Chocolate Jesus. 2007

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,262602,00.html

And for the following link, of course, no picture:

Controversial statue of Jesus with an erection offends gallery visitors

This one is funny:

You climb a ladder and stick your head in the sculpture’s arse to see a video of two Czech politicians feeding each other slop to a soundtrack of ‘We are the Champions."  Year 2003

http://villageofjoy.com/controversial-art-by-david-cerny/

But a statue of Adolf Hitler praying in Warsaw, well, that´s another story. Though it seems there are no bad intentions, it looks like disrespect to me. For the deceased and suffering....

" A statue of Adolf Hitler praying on his knees has sparked controversy after going on display in the former Warsaw ghetto. The artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, titled Him, has been installed in the Polish capital where thousands of Jews were killed or sent to their deaths by the Nazi regime. 

 The statue has attracted large numbers of visitors since its installation last month, but some organisations have criticised the decision to erect it in such a sensitive area. One Jewish advocacy group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, described the statue's placement as "a senseless provocation which insults the memory of the Nazis' Jewish victims". "As far as the Jews were concerned, Hitler's only 'prayer' was that they be wiped off the face of the earth," the group's Israel director, Efraim Zuroff, said in a statement. 

 The Hitler statue is visible from a hole in a wooden gate and viewers can only see the back of the small figure praying in a courtyard. Cattelan has not made it clear what Hitler is praying for, although organisers of the exhibition in which it features claim the statue is meant to make people reflect on the nature of evil. 

Fabio Cavallucci, director of the Centre for Contemporary Art, which oversaw the installation, said: "There is no intention from the side of the artist or the centre to insult Jewish memory. "It's an artwork that tries to speak about the situation of hidden evil everywhere." It is estimated that about 300,000 Jews who lived in the ghetto either died from hunger or disease or were sent to their deaths in concentration camps under the Nazi rule. Poland's chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, said he was consulted on the installation's placement but did not oppose it because it conveyed a strong moral question by provoking the audience. He said he was reassured by the organisers who told him the statue did not aim to rehabilitate Hitler but instead show that evil can present itself in the guise of a "sweet praying child". "I felt there could be educational value to it," Schudrich added." 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/28/adolf-hitler-statue-warsaw-ghetto