Piss Christ

Immersion (Piss Christ) is a 1987 photograph by the American artist and photographer Andres Serrano. It depicts a small plastic crucifix submerged in a small glass tank of the artist's urine. The piece was a winner of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art's "Awards in the Visual Arts" competition, which was sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a United States Government agency that offers support and funding for artistic projects.

The work generated a large amount of controversy based on assertions that it was blasphemous. Serrano himself said of the controversy: "I had no idea Piss Christ would get the attention it did, since I meant neither blasphemy nor offense by it. I've been a Catholic all my life, so I am a follower of Christ."

Art or Hate Speech? Video of Ants Crawling on Crucifix Pulled from Smithsonian

National Portrait Gallery removes provocative video from exhbit after outcry.

By DEVIN DWYER
December 3, 2010, 12:01 PM

Smithsonian Pulls Ants on Crucifix Video
Artist David Wojnarowicz produced 'Fire in My Belly' in 1987.

Dec. 3, 2010— -- A provocative video depicting ants crawling over a likeness of Jesus on a crucifix has been pulled from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, sparking a debate over art, sacrilege and freedom of speech.

The four-minute video clip -- "A Fire in My Belly" by artist David Wojnarowicz -- was part of the first national art exhibit of works featuring sexual orientation and gender identity in American art. "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" opened in October. It also features works by Georgia O'Keefe, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns and Annie Leibowitz.

The video drew sharp criticism from conservative groups following publication of a CNS news service article Monday with the headline: "Smithsonian Christmas-Season Exhibit Features Ant-Covered Jesus, Naked Brothers Kissing, Genitalia, and Ellen DeGeneres Grabbing Her Breasts."

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, called Wojnarowicz's video "hate speech" meant to denigrate Christianity. ... Several Republican leaders, including incoming House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, have said they will examine taxpayer funding for the Smithsonian in the wake of the controversial display.

"Absolutely, we should look at their funds," Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Fox News. "If they've got money to squander like this – of a crucifix being eaten by ants, of Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts, men in chains, naked brothers kissing – then I think we should look at their budget."

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