The unnamed pupil pointed out that his work was intended to explore the commercialisation of organised religion and the monetary exploitation of the faithful by greedy practitioners.
The pastor at the heart of the saga, Andrew Anderson, said Grantleigh Curro school in Richards Bay had taken down the matric pupil’s art works – which he had described as ‘demonical’ – but the artist has hit back, saying the claims are ‘completely unfounded’.
The artist urged critics to ‘think’ before they ‘speak’, and said: ‘I do not care what people believe, I simply want to highlight potential risks in how they believe it. For in a society dominated by an idea-driven culture, the contents of your mind are perhaps the most important and exploitable.’
In a statement published on Politicsweb, the matric pupil said: ‘Despite what the parent [Anderson] depicted in the recording [which went viral after the pastor posted it on social media] purports my artwork to be, the rationales seen nearby each piece in the video quite clearly explain that they are the furthest thing from so-called “satanism”.’
The artist said: ‘The artworks in this exhibition explore the commercialization of contemporary organized religion as well as the monetary exploitation of the faithful by greedy individuals who hide behind the disguise of a church or similar pious institution. They discuss (through the appropriation of religious imagery) how contemporary religion has become superficial. Instead of connecting with one’s faith on a deep, seemingly meaningful level and actually having the guts to ask metaphysical questions, many simply consume their religion in the same fashion as they would any other product (hence the use of Ronald McDonald as a symbol for the infection of faith with consumer culture) and it is because of this that they become vulnerable to manipulation at the hands of those who use their office as a religious leader to further their own lives instead of bringing about positive change in the world.’
The artist added: ‘In a country (and indeed larger world) that is stricken with poverty and glaring inequalities, who can take those religious leaders who rake in millions of rands of income on a regular basis seriously? Who can honestly say that it is right for certain religious leaders to have gotten away with robbing those who trust them most and not repaying society? Televangelism. church-sponsored merchandise and even charging a fee for attendance are all minor examples of the ways in which one contributes to the modern-day business of religion. My drawings take the compositions of classical, religious paintings and insert symbols of capitalism therein so as to communicate this sentiment.
‘However unsettling the imagery may seem. it is designed to provoke thought – to make the viewer question whether they are subject to merciless exploitation or are truly cognizant of what and how they believe. All other sentiments expressed in the exhibition stem from this one. Questions of rationality and irrationality, good and evil as well as an introspective reflection on my own metaphysical beliefs are all discussions pursued in my art and are sadly things forgotten and ignored by those too scared by the honesty and power of artistic expression to see my work for what it is – a dissection of contemporary faith.’