Curator Anda Rottenberg was forced to resign following protests when she displayed this work by artist and provocateur Maurizio Cattelan at the Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw, Poland.
"La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour)" (1999) by Maurizio Cattelan —
Curator Anda Rottenberg was forced to resign following protests when she displayed this work by artist and provocateur Maurizio Cattelan at the Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw, Poland.
Photo Zeno Zotti. Courtesy Maurizio Cattelan's Archive
Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" -- which sees a figure of Christ on the cross submerged in urine -- has been repeatedly vandalized by those who find it blasphemous. But in <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thamesandhudson.com%2FArt_Religion_in_the_21st_Century%2F9780500239315" target="_blank" target="_blank">"Art & Religion in the 21st Century,"</a> author Aaron Rosen says it could easily be read as a devotional image. <br /><br />"What better way to meditate on the torments and degradation of Christ -- both in his time and ours -- than to see his form submerged in urine?" he writes.
"Piss Christ" (1987) by Andres Serrano —
Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" -- which sees a figure of Christ on the cross submerged in urine -- has been repeatedly vandalized by those who find it blasphemous. But in "Art & Religion in the 21st Century," author Aaron Rosen says it could easily be read as a devotional image.

"What better way to meditate on the torments and degradation of Christ -- both in his time and ours -- than to see his form submerged in urine?" he writes.
Courtesy Andres Serrano and Nathalie Obadia Gallery
Here, Turkish artist Nazif Topçuoğlu restages Caravaggio's "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" (c. 1600) with women.
"Is it for Real?" (2006) by Nazif Topçuoğlu —
Here, Turkish artist Nazif Topçuoğlu restages Caravaggio's "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" (c. 1600) with women.
Courtesy Green Art Gallery/© Nazif Topçuoglu
With "Churchtank Type 7C," American artist Kris Kuksi seems to make a statement about religion, war and destruction.
"Churchtank Type 7C" (2009) by Kris Kuksi —
With "Churchtank Type 7C," American artist Kris Kuksi seems to make a statement about religion, war and destruction.
Courtesy Kris Kuksi
Photographer Jackie Nickerson spent more than two years photographing daily life in religious spaces across Ireland.
"Washing Eucharist Vessels, Poor Clare Monastery, Belfast" (2006) by Jackie Nickerson —
Photographer Jackie Nickerson spent more than two years photographing daily life in religious spaces across Ireland.
Courtesy Jackie Nickerson and Jack Shainman Gallery/© Jackie Nickerson
Ron Mueck, who studied the iconography of the Old Masters during a residency at London's National Gallery, often incorporates religious subjects in his own work. (Here, a young black man is a stand-in for Christ.)
"Youth" (2009) by Ron Mueck —
Ron Mueck, who studied the iconography of the Old Masters during a residency at London's National Gallery, often incorporates religious subjects in his own work. (Here, a young black man is a stand-in for Christ.)
Photo Alex Delfanne/©Ron Mueck
British artist Martin Firrell projected a number of simple words -- including the Arabic word for "sorrow," seen here -- onto St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Inside the cathedral, he projected comments submitted online.
"The Question Mark Inside" (2008) by Martin Firrell —
British artist Martin Firrell projected a number of simple words -- including the Arabic word for "sorrow," seen here -- onto St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Inside the cathedral, he projected comments submitted online.
Courtesy Martin Firrell/Photo Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
"The work plays with a paradox: danger does not seem to lie in reading the Quran alone, but in connecting it with other books. Do you risk explosion in making these connections?" Mounir Fatmi reflects in "Art and Religion."
"Connexion (Noveau Testament)" (2004-07) by Mounir Fatmi —
"The work plays with a paradox: danger does not seem to lie in reading the Quran alone, but in connecting it with other books. Do you risk explosion in making these connections?" Mounir Fatmi reflects in "Art and Religion."
Courtesy Mounir Fatmi and FNAC, France
Husband-and-wife duo Awst & Walther juxtapose the apple and grenade as two destructive temptations.
"Temptation" (2008) by Awst & Walther —
Husband-and-wife duo Awst & Walther juxtapose the apple and grenade as two destructive temptations.
© Awst & Walther
"Ecce Homo," depicting Christ with a crown of barbed wire, was erected atop the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in 1999. The title refers to Pontius Pilate's words when he presented Christ to the crowds before his death.
"Ecce Homo" (1999) by Mark Wallinger —
"Ecce Homo," depicting Christ with a crown of barbed wire, was erected atop the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square in 1999. The title refers to Pontius Pilate's words when he presented Christ to the crowds before his death.
Courtesy Hauser & Wirth © Mark Wallinger
American artist Kehinde Wiley painted an Ethiopian Israeli Jew on a background of traditional Jewish ceremonial art.
"Alios Itzhak, The World Stage: Israel" (2011) by Kehinde Wiley —
American artist Kehinde Wiley painted an Ethiopian Israeli Jew on a background of traditional Jewish ceremonial art.
Courtesy Kehinde Wiley and Roberts & Tilton/© Kehinde Wiley
<a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thamesandhudson.com%2FArt_Religion_in_the_21st_Century%2F9780500239315" target="_blank" target="_blank">"Art & Religion in the 21st Century"</a> by Aaron Rosen, published by Thames & Hudson, is out now.
"American Jesus: Hold Me, Carry Me Boldly" (2009) by David LaChapelle —
"Art & Religion in the 21st Century" by Aaron Rosen, published by Thames & Hudson, is out now.
Thames & Hudson/© David LaChapelle Studio