17 April 2014
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An Easter sculpture at a busy St. Kilda intersection protests against Australia’s asylum seeker policy.
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Barbed wire figures of a father, mother and child hang from the imposing crucifixes, with plaques bearing the names of offshore detention centres Nauru, Christmas and Manus islands.
The Rev John Tansey installed the three life-size wooden crucifixes outside the Uniting Church at the corner of Chapel and Carlisle Sts, aiming to draw a parallel between the deterrence aims of crucifiction in Roman times and offshore processing.
Tansey says the sculptures are not blasphemous but “based on a proper theology of the cross”.
Whatever one thinks of the message, it’s a powerful comment and stunning art.