in online exhibition55 Years of Schellmann Art

Red Jesus (Venice), 2003/2005

Published for the 51st Venice Biennale
Photograph (C-print), 43.2 x 54 cm (17 x 21¼ in). Edition of 50, signed and numbered.

EUR 1,000

In Red Jesus (Venice), Hatoum explores the direct coexistence of opposing ideologies within a simple and seemingly idyllic everyday street scene in Venice. The Communist symbol of the hammer and sickle, an image of Jesus Christ, and even a sign for the left-wing democratic party coexist in a short stretch of space, while the men sitting below calmly drink beer. Through subtle shifts and visual accentuations, Hatoum questions the latent tensions in public space and reflects on the ambivalence between harmony and confrontation.