By: Raven Mrozek
While his work caused unrest due to his subject matter, Andres Serrano has had great success in the art world. U.S. Serrano was born in New York, New York on August 15, 1950. He has participated in group exhibitions, as well as solo exhibitions in galleries across the globe including but not limited to Germany, Spain, Tokyo, Canada and his home country the U.S.His family raised him in a strict Roman Catholic tradition, but due to life events and disillusionment with the church when he was young, he currently identifies as a Christian, while still utilizing strong Catholic iconography in his work. As a part of his studies as a photographer, he attended the Brooklyn Museum and Art School for two years, however he considers himself to be self taught. In regards to his artworks, Serrano considers himself to be a conceptual artist. What you see is what he sees. He expressed on artnet that he doesn't like special effects. He wants to express an idea through form. Serrano is famous for his photographs of controversial subjects like the KKK, dead bodies, feces, guns, and Catholic icons submerged in bodily fluids.
Serrano's work made me uncomfortable. When I first viewed his work, I started researching why he took photographs the way he did because I was unsettled. I eventually read some really interesting interviews with him and realized that, yes, while all my questions are still not answered, he has put himself in some dangerous situations for the sake of art, which I greatly respect. He also had an interesting reasoning behind his series Anarchy. Anarchy alludes to anything destructive or morbid (death, war, disasters, etc.). Serrano states that this series is a psychological reference to anarchists and how "the most dangerous anarchists are not the ones with a social agenda, but the ones without any... Many are in jail, or insane asylums, but some are in Hollywood and in the art world" (Observer). He depicts the anarchist destruction through children's toys. Children are rough with their toys. They don't generally play nice with them, but rather bash them together and destroy in their imaginary games.
I do hold a high level of respect for Serrano in regards to the risks he is willing to take for a photograph. This is best expressed in how he got a hold of subjects to photograph in his series, The Klan. This series consists of dramatically lit portraits of KKK members. In an interview with Serrano with Goodyear, Serrano discusses how he had a connection with a member of the KKK. This person invited him to a KKK in the south to speak with Klansman and find subjects. He questioned going because he is Hispanic. Being told he should be okay at the initial part of the rally. He did attend, and was able to speak with some of the members, finding about six subjects. He stayed until the Klan was about to light the crosses on fire. He was told to leave because there is no way they could assure his safety once the ceremony began.
While I still do pose many question in regards to Andres Serrano's works and am still unsettled by some of them, I am beginning to understand his process and works as a photographer. He poses questions with his work, and has strong ideas behind the materials he uses. I also commend him for doing whatever it takes to get what he needs for the concept he is trying to convey, especially when he risked his comfort by attending a KKK rally even though he is not white.
Interview Websites:
http://www.artnet.com/awc/andres-serrano.html
http://observer.com/2012/02/andres-serrano-after-piss-christ/
https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-andres-serrano-15753
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