| From the Catalogues’ Introduction | | | I first saw The Morgue (1992) by Andres Serrano in 1993, at Galerie Yvon Lambert in Paris, and was immediately captivated by the stunning beauty of these still lifes surrounded by an aura of serenity, so completely detached from the actual circumstances of their creation (Broken Bottle Murder, II, Burn Victim, Pneumonia Due to Drowning, II, Knifed in Death, etc). After a brief moment, a conscious (moralistic) apprehension of the titles and the true essence of these photographed “surfaces,” seemed at odds with the aura of religiosity emanating from these works. Dilemmas of voyeurism, the object of which was totally unable to react, as well as other ethical concerns intensified these conflicting feelings. Since then Serrano has made several new series, nevertheless the vivid memory of that enchanting and horrific moment at Galerie Yvon Lambert and the time-transcending presence of the works still linger in my mind. The Morgue’s images of bodies and limbs immersed in quasi-religious splendor and serenity were to re-visit me upon reading Stephen Bann’s insightful words: “The painting is representing both death and resurrection - cold and pale flesh, and a crown of spring flowers.”
In spring 1993, as the The Morgue exhibition was travelling in France, an interdisciplinary conference devoted to this series was held at the Art Centre of Seyne-sur-Mer. The Sleeping Surface conference was chaired by Jean Louis Schefer, who invited the art philosophers and historians Daniel Arasse, Stephen Bann, Philippe Blon and Jean-Michel Rey to present and illuminate this topic from various perspectives – historical, mythological and literary. The Papers of Bann and Arasse, reprinted in the catalogue by courtesy of Galerie Yvon Lambert (Paris), reveal Serrano's partiality for classical imagery, and suggest possible links between his work and concepts derived from the past four decades of art history.
For the full texts see the exhibition catalogueat the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. | | |
| | | |  | | Andres Serrano, Fatal Meningitis, 1992, Courtesy of the artist and Yvon Lambert Gallery, Paris, New York | | |  | | Andres Serrano, Infectious Pneumonia, 1992, Courtesy of the artist and Yvon Lambert Gallery, Paris, New York | | |  | | Serrano in his appartment in Brooklyn, 1996. Photography: Rona Sela | | |
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