Plaster, fir, wool, linen, photolithograph on acid-free paper, oil paint, semi-gloss enamel paint, watercolor, pastel, graphite, bronze, cast plastic, polyethylene, lead crystal, fiberglass, nickel-plated bronze, wood, water recycling pumps, stoneware, urethane rubber, cement, feather re-creation of American Robin, blown glass, Flashe paint, aluminum, pewter, beeswax, human hair, pigment, socks, and shoes. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Maja Oeri and Hans Bodenmann

This installation was made in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, and results from Gober’s desire to create a space of refuge and reflection. Its overall structure evokes the interior of a church: a central aisle separating rows of pews leads to an altar-like area flanked by two chapels. From the nipples of a headless Christ, regenerative “living water” flows into a large hole jackhammered into the floor. In the pastel drawings hanging on the side walls, the power of human embrace confronts the harrowing news contained in the photolithographed pages of the September 12, 2001, issue of The New York Times. In this installation, the overt references to Catholicism prompt consideration of the vitality of such symbolism in the wake of contemporary tragedy.