Eugene

Controversial Modern Art - Device to Root Out Evil

No, this picture isn't upside down. "Device to Root Out Evil" was designed by American artist Dennis Oppenheim, and is a sculpture of what looks to be an upside-down church. The steeple, usually piercing the sky in its lunge toward heaven, is now at ground level, pursuing with vigor, the demons of the deep.

"A country church is seen balancing on its steeple, as if it had been lifted by a terrific force and brought to the site as a device or method of rooting out evil forces," Oppenheim says. The sculpture is currently being displayed at Calgary's Glenbow Museum.

Dennis was born in Electric City, Washington, trained in California and now works in New York. His work has been shown at the Tate Gallery in London, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Olympic Park in South Korea.

Dennis Oppenheim's website
Glenbow Museum website

Tags: art, calgary, church, controversial, device to root out evil, glenbow museum, modern, upside-down

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Mark Huckabee Comment by Mark Huckabee on June 3, 2009 at 11:26am
This also brings to mind the bumper sticker "Fear No Art". Really good art can start healthy conversations. "the wide-minded, the questioners" (as Karen calls them) will not fear these conversations.
Mark Huckabee Comment by Mark Huckabee on June 3, 2009 at 10:11am
It seems like this work could also be interpreted to be a comment on the current battle between science and religion (i.e. that science stands religion on its head by asking questions instead of taking things on faith). If interpreted that way then I can see why some would view it as controversial.

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