Robert Longo's 'God Machines' at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Robert Longo presented 'God Machines' at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris from March 21 to April 23, 2011. The exhibition featured three large-scale black-and-white drawings of sacred sites: the interior of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and the Kaaba in Mecca. Each was depicted from a different perspective—low-angle, frontal, and aerial—with the Mecca scene showing a crowd of pilgrims that appeared abstract up close. The installation created an oppressive atmosphere, reflecting contemporary religious fanaticism. Upstairs, a mini-retrospective of Longo's recurring motifs included a great white shark, a female cleavage, a wave, an atomic mushroom cloud, a forest, and a rock band. Longo's band, the x-Patsys, featuring his wife Barbara Sukowa, performed on March 20 at Espace Pierre Cardin for the 20th anniversary of Galerie Ropac in Paris, playing songs reminiscent of Velvet Underground, Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera, and Nick Cave.