Shroud

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Printed linen, 440 cm x 110 cm, 2022

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Shroud, 2023 is an abstract digital print on linen that mimics the dimensions of the Shroud of Turin (or holy shroud), which many believe is the burial fabric in which Jesus of Nazareth was wrapped after his crucifixion; and the only authentic imprint of his likeness. Raising questions around Catholicism and historic depictions of gender, the abstract pattern of the piece directly references depictions of Christ’s wound in medieval manuscript illuminations, in which 'the cut' overwhelmingly appears to resemble the vulva/labia in several 'books of hours'. This iconography is juxtaposed with the popular depiction of snails in medieval marginalia as symbols of the resurrection (and hermaphroditism). Together these historic elements collide to raise questions around the role of religion in 'evidencing' gender and the problematic implications this has in law making and human rights globally.