Unholy Bible: Very Revised Standard Edition
Artist: Riley Harris
Year: 2020
Date of Action: January 2020
Region: North America
Location: Portland, Maine
Subject: Religion
Medium: Mixed Media
Confronting Bodies: Casco Bay Church of Christ, My Faith Votes
Description of Artwork: “Unholy Bible” is a multi-media display of a Bible whose pages are torn and covered in red paint to resemble flames. Additionally, Harris placed Satanic images on the face of Christ.
The Incident: The Casco Bay Church of Christ objected and took offense to the display of “Unholy Bible” in a University of Southern Maine building, despite recognizing Harris’s right to free speech. The University stood by Harris and affirmed his right to free speech in this controversy.
Results of Incident: The University maintained that this issue falls under protected free speech, against the wishes of the church group members.
Source:
• https://www.centralmaine.com/2020/01/01/defaced-bible-as-student-artwork-prompts-complaint-at-usm/,
• https://www.christianpost.com/news/unholy-bible-university-promotes-art-project-of-desecrated-bible-satanic-christ.html
