THINK TANK GALLERY & CAA’S HISHAM FAGEEH PRESENT
RIP WHITE JESUS
RIP White Jesus was a project by Hisham Fageeh, existing in four realms: conceptual, product, exhibit, and virtual experiences.
Beginning September 23rd, 2020, Think Tank Gallery partnered with The Creator for the Gallery’s 10yr Anniversary and departure from their venue amidst pandemic.
This project began in July ‘20 with an international casting forum call for the Re-Casting of the Christ, to conclude with an American Idol-style voting for the New Jesus (you can submit to the Re-Casting here). In between those flashpoints, a variety of Art Item and Service-based experiences including an Augmented Reality Deconstruction of White Jesus occurred.
The aptly titled “R.I.P. White Jesus” Art Book was created in response to this recasting, augmented by artist Mark Sabb and curated by Tatum Hawkins. This 2020 iteration of the ongoing RIP White Jesus project culminated in live-streamed going-away party in Skid Row on stolen Tongva land, at Think Tank Gallery’s late venue. See more on the book and attached project on Forbes, as written by Jesse Damiani.
“R.I.P. WHITE JESUS”
Artist Statement by The Creator Hisham Fageeh
History is not linear, but it is taught to us in an empirical way. The Western Christian historiological paradox is that it predisposes itself in an ethnocentricity.
We are taught that we are created in His image, so this show is an invitation to explore selfhood and self-actualization in a postmodern lens.
The self tape is the ultimate manifestation of individuality, in its presentation to performative conformity. Because if seeing is believing, then we now have receipts.
A shifting of discursive paradigms that challenge what we once inherited as teleological truth, now rhetorically posits essence as intention over semiotics.
This is not an iconoclastic attack on faith, but rather a request that the immanent frame of truth be examined more holistically and inclusively.
Where Black Lives Matter is now an international movement, the American people (and the world) live in a heightened state of awareness.
We are experiencing a collective mourning of the past - especially those previously adjacent to godliness, in the white cisnormative heteropatriarchy.
Generational attempts of translations and transubstantiations changed eucharists to Euro-Christs, bland like unleavened bread.
Behold, for the taxonomy of doxology will lead to doxing and taxing symptomatology. Verily, truthfully.
Let us assume that everything is a construct, and we are in fact in a simulation.
Then this simulation patch is about Others; no more hegemony.
Laying the foundation for the next sociopolitical schema, for us to erect love as the main centerpiece for cosmological emanation.
RE-CASTING OF THE CHRIST
Greetings!
Thank you for your time and peace be upon you.
We are currently casting the next big epic on the most influential figure in history, Jesus Christ. There have been a plethora of inventive attempts, but each has come with its set of identity politics and relative political correctness.
We want to embrace the 21st century, and not pigeonhole our depictions to classical standards – we are all made in His image, after all. So we are looking for an essence, rather than a look.
CREDITS
The Creator / Conceptual Artist: Hisham Fageeh
The Curator: Tatum Hawkins
AR Artist: Mark Sabb
The Gallery: Think Tank