Naked Christ
by Michele Coxon
A sculpture of Christ made of sheep bones, rusty metal and driftwood is getting approval from visitors to Shrewsbury Abbey, despite accusations that it is blasphemous and unsuitable for children, writes Bill Bowder.
The sculpture, entitled The Naked Christ, was made by Michele Coxon, and is part of a two-week Visual Arts Festival, which ends this weekend. The row about it broke out when a visitor said on Thursday of last week that the statue was obscene, gory and made her wince. “I am glad I didn’t bring my children along,” the Daily Mail quoted Sarah Burns as saying.
One visitor from Yorkshire complained that the exhibition was distasteful; another said it was not suitable for children.
The sculptor, who lives in Wales, says she drew inspiration from sheep skeletons, abandoned machinery, and river flotsam. “I wanted the image of a man who has suffered and whose earthly body is decaying.”
The Abbey administrator, Roger Knight, said: “We get 500 visitors a day, and virtually all the comments in the visitors’ book are positive.” He challenged the local paper, the Shropshire Chronicle, which called the sculpture blasphemous, to look up the meaning of the word.