Fragments of a Crucifixion

Artists have used the crucifixion of Christ as a powerful symbol to address suffering and redemption in the history of racial violence in the United States. Fragments of a Crucifixion explores the continuing relevance of the crucifixion, even as our society becomes increasingly diverse in its religious beliefs. Rather than depict the image of the crucifixion itself, artworks in this exhibition offer only fragments—incomplete images and narratives. These works invoke agony and ecstasy through bodily traces and scenes of absence and loss. Featuring works in the MCA Collection, this show is dedicated to the spiritual in art, and to art’s capacity to evoke life and love in the face of brutality.

The exhibition is organized by Chanon Kenji Praepipatmongkol, Marjorie Susman Curatorial Fellow. It is presented in the McCormick Tribune Orientation Gallery on the museum’s second floor.

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Image: Titus Kaphar, Ascension, 2016. Oil on canvas with brass nails; 108 × 84 × 1 ½ in. Collection of Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, 21c Museum Hotels. Image courtesy of the artist.