Sacrifice – What is worth more, art or life ?

Sacrifice – What is worth more, art or life?

This is a dilemma that one might find themselves grappling with in recent times. Agnus Dei, the sacrificial Lamb of God housed in Madrid’s Prado, akin to all masterpieces within the Western art canon, faces the peril of damage from climate protests. Does this act align with an initiation rite that marks the genesis of every new culture, invariably necessitating a sacrifice? Why is autonomous art juxtaposed with life in the endeavor to “save” the earth? Does the notion of artistic self-empowerment hang in the balance with this inquiry, serving as both a means of understanding the world and a beacon of enlightenment?

Under the guise of a culture of sacrifice, Svenja Schüffler initiates an artistic practice characterized by concealment and revelation, concealing works that defy controlled reception. She adeptly appropriates notable masterpieces like Agnus Dei, imbuing them with their historical contexts, and incorporates them as sculptural elements of sacrifice to obscure secret works behind them.