Monstrous Divinity: Finding the Holy in Unholy Spaces

Indianapolis, IN

In classical Greek, Τέρας, the word for divine sign, omen, marvel and wonder, also means monster. Biblical angels are described as horrors, so beautiful and terrifying that man could not bear to see their true form. Yet, art and culture have sanitized the idea of divinity to where we picture angels as handsome winged humans and relate church with cleanness, with well-dressed and well-mannered attendees. The language of religion has become purified to ignore the revolutionary, often violent language of its origins in favor of a peaceful and yielding congregation. This project seeks to bring the revolution back into religion, portraying saints not as incorruptible and clean but as punks and rebels of a sacred mutiny. It explores the intersections of monstrosity and divinity, of God and the cosmos.