Polish Artist Jerzy Kalina Responds to Cattelan's 'La Nona Ora' with 'Poisoned Source'

Polish artist Jerzy Kalina (born 1944 in Garwolin) installed a hyperrealistic sculpture of Pope John Paul II holding a meteorite in the courtyard of the National Museum in Warsaw in September 2020. Titled 'Poisoned Source,' the work shows the pope walking in a pool of red water symbolizing blood. It is a direct response to Maurizio Cattelan's 1999 sculpture 'La Nona Ora,' which depicted John Paul II struck by a meteorite. Cattelan's work caused a major scandal when exhibited at the Zacheta National Gallery in Warsaw in 2000, leading to the director's resignation. Kalina's installation coincides with the centenary of John Paul II's birth and his 2014 canonization. Meanwhile, relics of the pope were stolen from the Duomo in Spoleto, Italy, as reported by Vatican News. The theft involved a vial of the pope's blood that was to be transferred to a new church dedicated to Wojtyła on October 22, 2020. Kalina's work was installed on September 23, 2020, and shared on Instagram by users. The piece is part of a series of homages to Cattelan, who turned 60 on September 21, 2020, and whose work 'The Comedian' was acquired by the Guggenheim Museum New York.