St Morrissey Reliquary

This reliquary contains a piece of Morrissey’s shirt, heavily scented with cologne, from a concert in 2007. The crowd at the concert was unhinged, and at one point the singer took off his shirt and threw it directly on top of me. The surrounding concert goers began elbowing and punching me as people tried to get the shirt I was simply trapped under. A woman next to me informed me that she attended a previous Morrissey concert in Tucson, Arizona that was shut down mid-show because the crowd was so out of control. This experience made me contemplate fame and the fervor and passion of fandom and how people act towards those they elevate both in the past (religious icons) and present. Morrissey is problematic because of nationalistic sympathies as well as dismissive comments made about the #MeToo movement but examining how we treat famous people as well as each other because of our passion is still relevant.

Wood, glue, acrylic paint, paper, metal hinges and feet, lighting kit, small statuary, glass reliquary, copper sheeting, canvas

7 x 4 x 13 in

2019