Humor and superficiality. Mockery, ambiguity and Jesus as a target: Oh My God! For sixty years, pop art has enjoyed undiminished attention. A perspective that has remained underexposed is the connection between the art movement and religion. This intersection is precisely the area in which Pop Art is at its best. The works of Pop Art artists such as Andy Warhol, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jeff Koons, Jacques Frenken and Wim Delvoye evoke a smile, but also commotion and revulsion: the clash of devotion versus irony and commerce offers a unique view. When it comes to religion, Pop Art has not lost its controversial character.
Sint Stephanus I. Wim Delvoye, 1990. Bruikleen Fondation Linda & Guy Pieters.Tension
The exhibition focuses on the relationship between religion, spirituality, and the Pop Art movement. The works are dynamic, ironic, and above all, not in line with the serious, abstract art that dominated museums in the 1960s. Nor does the character of Pop Art seem to be in line with the meaningfulness of religion, where values and norms ask for a certain seriousness. Museum Krona, which is housed in a partially inhabited abbey building, is the perfect place to showcase this field of tension in the works on show.
Shock
True to the character of Pop Art, the exhibition starts with a shock: with Niki de Saint Phalle's “shootings” and Jacques Frenken's Target, where Christ hangs as a target from a target. Both artists took aim at plaster statues of saints, which lost their value and status en masse in the 1960s. Further into the exhibition, the exhibition zooms in on commerce, community and imitators of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, using national and international Pop art icons Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Woody van Amen, Tempi & Wolf, Jeff Koons, “Pop art-non” Corita Kent, and many others.
Lesson nine. Corita kent, 1966. Bruikleen Corita Art Center, Los Angeles. Corita.orgOMG! Relipop is on show in Museum Krona from 5 April until 7 September 2025.
With works of Andy Warhol, Corita Kent, Niki de Saint Phalle, Roy Lichtenstein, Eduardo Paolozzi, Jeff Koons, Tempi & Wolf, Hans Truijen, Wim Delvoye, Rob Scholte, Jacques Frenken, Woody van Amen, Bruce Conner, Benoît Hermans, Co Westerik, Mimmo Rotella and Raoef Mamedov.