Saintly Cadavers (NSFW—Age 18+ Only)

A Blessed Sacrilege (1996). Georges Bataille’s “Story of the Eye” is the springboard for this burlesque narrative tableau that features models from New York. I illustrated a brief encounter in which the Countess and the Abbess instigate an unconventional, unexpected and most unholy communion with the “Saint”. I shot the original layout on black & white film and then added colour to give the models florid complexions and beatific facial expressions, parodying the depictions of saints on antique Roman Catholic prayer cards. The layout also signposts the viewer to consider the spectacle of the 'incorruptible' bodies of saints displayed in glass cases (reliquaries) in various Catholic churches, cathedrals and basilicas. I used a Konica AUTOREFLEX T4 35mm Film SLR Manual for the entire layout.