Queer artist warns of god politics

“Beware of the god” projection by Deborah Kelly of GBK Gallery

As the U.S. election nears, it’s time to consider a queer artist’s warning against mixing religion and politics. Words appear in the sky as if written by God, but their creator is actually a queer feminist activist/artist in a major international art show in Singapore now. “Beware of the god” is projected into the clouds by Australian artist Deborah Kelly. Her stated goal is to warn against the influence of religion on politics. The words were projected over the Singapore Harbor recently as part of the Singapore Biennale 2008, a big exhibition of international contemporary art. The show lasts from Sept. 11 to Nov. 16, although Kelly’s projection ran only for the first week. In recent years, Kelly has worked the same magic in the skies above Sydney where she lives. As a lesbian Christian, I find Kelly’s light projection to be a beautiful and mysterious reminder of God’s presence and our unfortunate human tendency to turn God (capital G) into our own many gods (small g) -- idols that express and feed human ego. When I visited Kelly’s website, www.bewareofthegod.com, I was surprised to find that some of her work is a much bolder -- a direct attack on homophobia and misogyny in the church (and outside the church, too). Sometimes she may go too far. But we need our warriors, too. Her “Beware of the god” series includes sticker postcards that are free for the asking. Her own explanation is on the back. It begins, “ Pop the sticker somewhere that’s plagued by holy rollers, God botherers, or bearded blokes wielding vengeful-deity theories…” Click here for the full text and more info.

“Beware of the god” sticker postcard by Deborah Kelly of GBK Gallery