Cutting through the deluge of conservative critics lambasting the Olympic opening ceremony, religious studies scholar Emma Cieslik argues that the bacchanalian drag performance was a perfect representation of Christian art history’s pagan and queer roots.
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July 31, 2024

Good morning! Cutting through the deluge of conservative critics lambasting the Olympic opening ceremony, religious studies scholar Emma Cieslik argues that the bacchanalian drag performance was a perfect representation of Christian art history’s pagan and queer roots. Read her engaging essay in full below.

In the news, Maya Pontone reports on the American Museum of Natural History’s repatriation of the bodies of 124 Native people as thousands more remain in its collection.

Also today: a show about the social and political roles of hair, breakdancing statues andaquatic paintings at the Olympics, and Claudia Ross’s observations about a “new breed of kitsch.”

— Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Associate Editor

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The Olympics Drag Scene Got Christian Art History Right

Critics of the opening ceremony betrayed their ignorance of Christianity’s pagan roots — and the real reason behind their ire toward the show. | Emma Cieslik

OLYMPICS + PUBLIC ART

What Are Those Giant Painted Heads Floating in the Seine?

Some of the Louvre’s most famous works inspired a series of half-submerged installations for the Olympic games. | Rhea Nayyar

NYC Unveils 18-Foot Sculpture to Mark Breakdancing’s Olympics Debut

“Rappin’ Max Robot” will spend a year in the South Bronx before going on permanent view at the Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad in Paris. | ET Rodriguez

MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC

American Museum of Natural History Repatriates Remains of 124 Native People

The institution holds the bodies of 12,000 individuals from communities within and outside the United States, the majority of which lack identification. | Maya Pontone

How Hair Weaves Us Together

Styling Identities pushes the boundaries of museum display to incorporate local communities and global art through the theme of hair. | Alexandra M. Thomas

The Winking Irony of “Ecological” Luxury

The Haas Brothers’ witty functional sculptures alluding to ecology proffer an environment that is knowingly — and laughably — unrealistic. | Claudia Ross

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