Barack Obama as Jesus Stirs Controversy

The senator from Chicago is dressed in the robes of Jesus and has a blue neon halo-sort of. A student at the Art Institute of Chicago had a created paper mache Jesus which features the face of a smiling Barack Obama.

The piece went on display Saturday just before the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week in the most sacred week on the Christian calendar. It starts with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday. David Corder, a 24 undergraduate, created the smiling statue for his senior project. It was a response to the overwhelming attention that Barack Obama received in response to his presidential candidacy.

"All of this is a response to what I've been witnessing and hearing, this idea that Barack is sort of a potential savior that might come and absolve the country of all its sins. In a lot of ways it's about caution in assigning all these inflated expectations on one individual, and expecting them to change something that many hands have shaped."

Jen Psaki, Obama's campaign spokesman, said he supports First Amendment rights but generally "isn't a fan of art that offense religious sensibilities."

According to Bruce Jenkins, undergraduate dean of the art department, response has been primarily positive. "When you see it, when you spend time it with it, you understand that it's not a provocative work at all. It opens a set of questions."

The school has some angry calls and inquiries from potential buyers.

Corder also hopes the exhibit will encourage others to become more politically involved and aware.

"He's sort of emerged as this really sort of charismatic and really popular person. I think that people really like him and I think it's because of his message of unity and sort of his political platform," said Corder.

The Obama sculpture comes on the heals of a controversial New York exhibit. Food artist Cosimo Cavallaro was set to show a nude chocolate figure of Jesus. Protest from the Catholic Church shut the exhibit down.

Death threats pushed the audience into hiding. The closure of "My Sweet Lord" resulted in thousands of emails of support and offers of financial assistance.

The Chicago Diocese of the Catholic would not comment on Corder's sculpture because they had not seen it.

Obama, a junior senator from Illinois, has raised 20 million dollars toward his 2008 campaign. He currently enjoys the support of former presidential hopeful Jesse Jackson. Obama married to Michelle Robinson 1992. They have two daughters.

Sources.

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