Danish Jewish artist lets fish defecate on Bible and Quran

The Danish Jewish artist Marco Evaristti gained notoriety for a museum display entitled Helena in 2000 that featured ten functional blenders containing live goldfish. The display, at the Trapholt Art Museum in Kolding, Denmark, invited guests to turn on the blenders. Fish also play a central role in Evaristi’s newest piece of art: A 600-liter aquarium with the Quran, the Bible and the Torah lying on the bottom, below the fish. The fish are fed and their bodily wastes will fall on the holy scriptures.

In an interview with the Danish national media, Danmarks Radio, Evaristti says: “It is a humanistic work. People may like to think about how we had it better with each other.” He denies that there is a provocation. On the contrary, he calls the artwork a humanistic contribution to today’s debate.

Marco Evaristti hope that the work can create a dialogue between the three great religions: “Religion and politics separate human beings. This work is a metaphor for how we can start over and begin to love each other even though we are different: Arabs, Jews, Catholics. It’s an idealistic way to show how we might be better off together if we start from the bottom again.”

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