The shocking sculpture by a Toulouse artist to denounce the excesses of Abbé Pierre and the silence of the church

Abbé Pierre erect on his deathbed. This is the latest sculpture by Toulouse artist James Colomina. A staging which highlights sexual abuse in the Church.

A body lying on a bed and under a shroud. At first glance, the work is striking. Especially when we discover it in a deconsecrated church with liturgical chants in the background.

The scene becomes downright striking through a “detail”. A protruding bump lifts the funeral sheet. The allusion is explicit, the corpse is erect.

If you add a name to the face of the dead, the sculpture becomes a shocking work. James Colomina depicted Abbé Pierre on his deathbed. Its latest exhibition, in the middle of All Saints' Day weekend, created quite an event.

James Colomina has a trademark: street art. For once, he changes his habits by installing one of his works in an enclosed space. But he still remains a committed artist. In the streets of Paris, he criticized Christmas consumerism. In Brussels and Rome, he defends the Ukrainian cause by depicting Putin perched on a toy tank.

And his latest exhibition remains in the same register. “His” Abbot Pierre is not reduced to a resin sculpture, a church decor and a religious atmosphere. The work, named Silenceis built around a denunciation of the silence surrounding sexual crimes within the Church.

Thus, the “coeur” of the exhibition namely “the folds of the sheet” wants to “draw attention to the horrors committed within the Church in “highlighting the very real abuses of which Abbé Pierre and other religious figures have been accused.”

I have long believed that sacred symbols should remain untouchable, beyond any questioning. But why close your eyes?

Likewise, the fact of choosing an Abbot Pierre on his bed of mortuary preparation “recalls that even after death, the injuries and trauma caused continue to permeate the collective memory, haunting the victims and the whole of society.”

To reinforce the impact of his message, James Colomina abandoned the bright red of his street sculptures. He opted for “a more sober white”Who “orients on the form and essence of the sculpture, inviting silence and contemplation”.

This Friday, November 1, the information circulated from the beginning of the morning. Social networks and local media announced an exhibition by James Colomina in Toulouse. The organization of an event is not a surprise, so visitors were there to discover the latest happening of an artist who wishes to remain anonymous. But who benefits from real notoriety.

On the other hand, it was a discovery for the first visitors. “it’s surprising, as soon as we arrive, it raises questions. We sat for a moment before approaching” underlines a young woman. Another speaks of “surprise”.

Basically, the same words recur: “it’s necessary”. A spectator adds: “not shocking in the end”.

Obviously, these are just a few reactions. James Colomina's shocking work risks triggering a controversy and, in any case, will not leave you indifferent.

That was the goal. The result is there.

Contacted the diocese of Toulouse did not respond.