Untitled
Artist name
Artist year born
1947
Artwork make date
1986
Artwork material
paper
ink
ink
Artwork dimensions
height: 35cm
width: 47cm
width: 47cm
Artwork type (categories)
Drawing
Accession method
Donated by Roque de Bonis 1993
Accession number
15-1993
Label text
Scafati’s second work depicts a monstrous bishop rubbing his hands together while bile flows from his mouth. A group of three people stand beside the bishop, one man pickpockets another whilst looking for affirmation from the ecclesiastical figure. The implication is that the thief is doing the work of stealing for the Church. The monstrous satisfaction of the bishop’s gesture is discernible and is a damning accusation of the role of the Catholic Church in Argentina. The return to democracy presented an opportunity for many artists to be able to make works that commented on the social and political landscape and this work from 1986 would likely not have passed through the censorship which prevailed during the dictatorship. The Church had a close relationship to the military regime and perhaps Scafati is attempting to criticise the continued role of the Church in democratic Argentina.
Text written for the exhibition "Argentina 1976-2016: Activism, Memorialisation and Complicity", 7-10 March 2016, ESCALA Teaching and Research Space
Sebastian Bustamante-Brauning
Text written for the exhibition "Argentina 1976-2016: Activism, Memorialisation and Complicity", 7-10 March 2016, ESCALA Teaching and Research Space
Sebastian Bustamante-Brauning
Last updated date
2016