Christianity has been one of the most influential forces in Western art.  The Church has commissioned some of the greatest art works of all time.  These art works have interpreted biblical stories and personalities and have been admired, even adored, in a context of worship and belief.  Even today, one must pilgrimage to chapels, not art galleries, to see the best work of Giotto, Michelangelo or Matisse.

Christianity is not however, a dominant theme in contemporary art.  Art, like so many other areas of society, has become increasingly secular.  In fact, religion has been questioned, ridiculed and for the most part ignored, by the majority of contemporary artists.  As a consequence, the tradition of religious art has not been maintained and fewer people are versed in its rich iconography and symbolism.

For this reason, Megan Hansen-Knarhoi is a distinctive figure in contemporary New Zealand art.  Since graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Elam School of Fine Arts at Auckland University in 2006, she has established a body of work that examines the legacy of Christian belief in art and modern society.  This includes a series of wall installations featuring the image of Jesus, typically sourced from the internet and constructed from French knitted wool.  In the case of Jesus Spells, the figure is ‘speaking in tongues’ as represented by a speech bubble of three dimensional soft sculpted crosses.

By constructing large scale devotional portraits of Jesus Christ, Megan draws attention to the lack of religion in contemporary art.  In doing so, she invigorates and interrogates religious art in equal measures.  The artist also makes comparison between the church and the art gallery as sites of worship; places where customs and rituals are conducted, albeit in an often unconscious way.  Through the act of exposing the practices of the art gallery, she also attempts to reveal the deeply entrenched influences of the Christian tradition throughout society. 

Anna-Marie White

The Suter Curator