Piet

“The reconstruction of Michelangelo’s Pietàusing living bodies. The exchange of gender roles is an expression of androgyny in the features of the mother of god and son. In the original sculpture the Madonna is considerably more robust and Jesus more delicate, almost feminine. I found here a kind of morphological analogy to the polemic surrounding gender stereotypes. Androgyny is a symbol of the soul, which is not limited to male or female polarity but contains elements of both.

The archetype of the mother of god, the Pietà, i.e. the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus or the Sacrifice, contains within in it the possibility of transformation. The exchange of gender roles updates the trans-personal transformative power concealed in ancient religious symbols.” (DA)