Al Farrow: Reliquaries

Al Farrow... Skull of Santo Guerro (1998, Guns, Gun parts, Bullets, lead Shot, Steel, Glass, Bone, Steel, Crucifix, 42h X 20w X 20d). From Reliquaries by Al Farrow. "...Historically, this self-taught artist has rendered his subjects in bronze, pioneering techniques such as solid casting. At one point in his career he constructed and operated his own bronze foundry in order to employ the unique techniques he developed. Recently, however, Farrow is working with found materials, mainly guns, gun parts, bombs and bullets. These unlikely art materials are incorporated into architectural structures, based on medieval Spanish and Italian reliquaries. Farrow’s assemblages contemplate the dichotomous role religion and religious icons play in society: contemporary and historical. The structures at once inspire transcendence and fear as the viewer comes to recognize the violent implications of the materials. Employing his interest in archaeology and art history to explore issues with contemporary resonance, Farrow contemplates the profound irony of the age old bedfellows, war and religion."