A MYSTERIOUS and otherworldly sculpture that has popped up in a remote churchyard overnight has caused quite a stir on social media as people ask - is it art or is it awful?
The androgynous cast iron statue can be found standing amongst the gravestones at Llanfair Kilgeddin Church where it gazes cryptically to the heavens.
Many were exposed to “new art installation at Llanfair Kilgeddin Church” for the first time on social media when local photographer Wayne Gibbon innocently posted a pic of it to the Abergavenny Voice community page.
Although religion and art have enjoyed a centuries-old relationship and churches and graveyards have for centuries been dotted with gothic gargoyles, stained glass windows, and all manner of praying and weeping angels, the bald and naked figure in the churchyard of St Mary proved one art installation too far for many Facebook members.
One user slammed it as “Disgusting!” And a “Disgrace to the deceased,” and added, “There’s no respect for the dead whatsoever lately, it’s supposed to be a sacred place.”
Other users likened the sculpture to something out of a horror film with one commenting, “My goodness if I came across that unexpected like, I’d freak out!”
Another added, “Personally I think this is so disrespectful to the dead. Just my opinion. It’s damn freaky and quite ugly as well.”
And another simply mused, “Not for me. I thought it was the bad guy out of Stranger Things.”
Yet others were quick to rush to its defence and explained that the sculpture was merely meant to “embrace our beautiful churches and embrace those who are no longer here.”
The sculpture of course wasn’t the work of a publicity-seeking prankster or a sly and social media savvy Satanist, but part of a curated art trail in seven remote local churches that began in early August and will run to late October.
Organised by Art and Christianity and Friends of Friendless Churches, and curated by Jacquiline Creswell, each church on the trail contains a different artwork selected to augment the site and to convey the richness of the theme of ‘vessels’.
Jacquiline said, “The theme of ‘vessel’ references bodies, boats, secretions, and receptacles; each of the artworks will be sited in a particular relationship to the church and its materials.
“In Christianity, a vessel is often used as a symbol of the human body or soul, which is seen as a container for the Holy Spirit. The concept of the vessel is used to illustrate the idea that Christians are called to be vessels of God's love, grace, and power, and to carry the message of the Gospel to the world."
She added, “It is the first time an exhibition like this trail has taken place in these churches.”
The sculpture that stands tall in St Mary, Llanfair Kilgeddin, blissfully unaware of all the controversy it has caused was created by Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir and is named ‘Centre.’
Jacquiline added, “Centre is an androgynous human form representing all of humanity. It is a solitary, graceful figure. Its contemplative gaze is raised toward the bell tower. The figure is both classical and abstract, devoid of any definition, yet its human scale invites us to engage with it. Centre is created from rough cast iron, pierced with a glass circle creating a window to the soul, and the sculpture is placed so that light will shine through the glass at certain times of the day.”
So there you have it. You may think it’s art, or you may think it’s awful, but at the moment it’s there and one day it won’t be. So why not pay a visit to a lovely little local church and check the ‘Centre’ out for yourself?