Collideoscope

Posted by: Denelle

Starting on November 1, you will be able to see a life size sculpture of Jesus here in a New York art gallery. But this Jesus is sculpted from marble or wood or even made in bronze. This Jesus sculpture is made entirely of chocolate.

The sculpture is part of an exhibition that will show case Jesus and seven Catholic saints made entirely of chocolate. Originally the pieces were to go on display this past spring; on the Monday after Palm Sunday to be exact. However, outrage from religious groups and leaders forced the exhibit into storage.

"The timing was appalling," said Kiera McCaffrey, a spokesperson for the Catholic League. "That was an upfront assault on Christian sensibilities during Holy Week."

Cosimo Cavallaro, the Canadian-born artist, did not want to reveal where the sculpture has been stored because of threats, said it had to be repaired after mice gnawed at its fingers, toes, and nose.

So why all the fuss over a chocolate Jesus?

In addition to being fashioned from a confection, it is "anatomically correct" and lacks the loin cloth that traditional depictions of Christ have.

Ahhh, suddenly it all makes more sense.

[The artist] also hopes that portraying an anatomically-correct, chocolate Jesus calls people's attention to the fragility of life and the lived experience of Christ.

"Depictions of Jesus in plastic or wood are what I find offensive," he said. "With my work, you don't want it to melt, so you have to be more aware of the time you have with it. It's more alive."

"The David" is anatomically correct and people wait hours in line to see that sculpture. Is it the choloclate that is offensive? What do you think? Eccentric? Sacrilegious? Simply amusing/bizarre?