Wim Delvoye's Radiant Chapel: X-Ray Stained Glass and Scatological Machines

Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, known for his Cloaca machine that produces artificial feces, has created a new series of twelve monumental stained-glass works titled Chapel, named from January to December. These works, presented in Paris, Düsseldorf, and New York in early 2002, use X-ray images of human and animal body parts sandwiched between glass plates, mimicking traditional church windows. Delvoye's practice consistently merges high and low culture, kitsch and craftsmanship, as seen in earlier works like tattooed pigs, decorated football goals, and concrete mixers. The Chapel series continues his exploration of the body's interior, linking scatology to a broader meditation on visibility, mortality, and the metaphysical. By employing medical imaging, Delvoye updates the medieval stained-glass tradition, using modern science to probe beneath the surface. His work often involves collaboration with master glassmakers and researchers, as with Cloaca, which was developed with a team of scientists. The artist's recent exhibitions include shows at Migros Museum Zurich (2001), Kunst Palast Düsseldorf (February 2 – May 5, 2002), Galerie Nathalie Obadia Paris, and New Museum New York.