cathedral sculpture made up of gun parts

Al Farrow, The Spine and Tooth of Santo Guerro (detail), 2007. Steel, Brass, Gold, Bone, Fabric, Tooth, 64 x 50 1/2 x 74 in (162.6 x 128.3 x 188 cm). Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum Purchase, gift of Dr. Thomas Jackson and Dr. Kathleen Grant, 2008.10. Artwork © Al Farrow

In the Name of God: War, Religion, and the Reliquaries of Al Farrow

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Al Farrow’s current body of work continues to appropriate and reinterpret the traditional iconography of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religious institutions and beliefs, and their historic links to complex political, cultural, and military issues and events. The Spine and Tooth of Santo Guerro (2007), is Farrow’s most important work in both technical and aesthetic terms.  At first glance, this elaborate construction appears to be only a beautifully crafted scale model of a European Gothic cathedral, albeit not one that is historically identifiable. Closer examination reveals that nearly the entire structure is fabricated from deconstructed gun components, as well as bullets and steel shot.  This new acquisition, along with Farrow’s synagogue and mosque structures, is on view beginning November 8, 2008.

Currently on view