Homeless Jesus - what's the fuss?

It’s amazing how a simple, static art installation can engage diverse emotions, raise deep questions, unsettle the locals and sometimes … be a catalyst for change!

Take, for instance, a life-size bronze “Homeless Jesus” recently installed just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The piece is by Canadian sculptor, Timothy P Schmalz.

It depicts a figure lying on a park bench, wrapped in an ill-fitting, too-small blanket. An innocuous scenario, repeated in parks and cities the world over. Busy people walk straight by without so much as a second look. The figure is neither demanding nor threatening. He is almost invisible to those too busy to see.

Yet, this sculpture has sparked controversy in the quiet community in which it has been installed.

Phone calls to the police, to come and investigate and move the ‘vagrant’ on! People don’t want ‘that sort’ in their neighbourhood. Others celebrating the art as a call to renewed compassion.

So, why the fuss?

Take a look at the sculpture for yourself (homeless). Take a closer look. See the feet? What do you notice?

Do you identify with the locals (“move that vagrant along”)? Or do you like the idea of an edgy installation …something that shakes us out of our mundane day-to-day, to look from a new/different perspective?

Here’s a link to a video of the sculptor discussing his piece as he works on it.

I, for one, love the piece, the controversy and the inspiration behind it. I think it does us good to be challenged to consider things in a new light, to bump up against a different approach to a long-held tradition. This process helps me to distill the essence of an issue – to ask whether I hold something dear because it is actually important or because that’s just what I’ve always done.

In keeping with our latest obsession with all things “pop-up” – the Windows to Easter exhibition is up and running in shop windows along one of the walking streets in Adelaide, James Place.

The Windows to Easter exhibition website provides brief audio interviews with each of the artists talking about their works, allowing audiences beyond Adelaide to engage with the exhibition.

Some of the pieces are quite strong in their depiction of a criminal’s death in the days of Ancient Rome - a far cry from the ‘usual’ (read: commercialised) fluffy chickens, chocolate eggs and hot cross buns (although you’ll see the cross motif repeated throughout the exhibition).

Other pieces engage with the very personal journeys of a number of the key players in the original accounts of Easter. Many are simply beautiful. Some are naïve yet compelling.

Should public art installations be pretty to look at? Should art in the public space be easy to engage with or should its execution require more of those who view it? And how close to ‘the edge’ is OK when it comes to socially acceptable subject matter or content?

This exhibition might make you think – but is that such a bad thing?

Blog: by Kari Seeley

Kari Seeley loves words, stories, art and music. She has over 15 years' experience in broadcast media having hosted a daily interview show on Adelaide radio as well as hosting community TV programs, music shows and producing interviews with visiting artists for the Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide. When she's not interviewing or speaking on radio, Kari is writing passionately about challenging issues and cultural happenings.