Opiums? Exhibition Explores Religious Art at Abbaye d'Auberive

The Fond de l'Abbaye d'Auberive in Haute-Marne, housed in an 18th-century abbey recently renovated by Jean-Claude Volot, presents the exhibition "OPIUMS?" curated by Alexia Volot. The show interrogates the use-value of religious art, playfully referencing Marx's phrase "opium of the people"—clarifying that opium for Marx was a medical analgesic, not a drug. The exhibition draws from Volot's collection, encompassing folk art (e.g., holy water fonts), outsider art, self-taught singular art, and diverted imagery from ancestor worship, animism, Christianity, and even the Mao cult via porcelain figurines. A chronological layout begins with African arts syncretized with Christianity, such as voodoo crosses. The cross as a symbol of suffering is highlighted through a juxtaposition of an African Christ and a medieval Christ, and works by René Strubel. The Passion's horror is emphasized, echoing Victor Hugo: "Attach God to the gibbet, you have the cross." A room dedicated to Saint Sebastian's martyrdom includes Joel-Peter Witkin's sadomasochistic interpretation. The theme of the nurturing mother appears in Romanesque and African Virgins, while Stani Nitkowski's Pietà conveys grief. The exhibition also features expressionists like Jean Rustin, Dado, and Martan S. Maryan. The final room on the Mao cult underscores humanity's inescapable religious impulse.