Questions about irreligion -where is the limit in the use of religious symbols?

Abstract

The first part of the study presents history and philosophy of the term irreligion (connected with art) proclaimed in 2001-2002 by Kazimierz Piotrowski, the curator of the exhibition: Irreligion. Morphology of non-sacred in Polish art of the twentieth century. As Piotrowski defines, since ancient time the irreligion is everything (things created like works of art or human acts) that is against religion, dogma or faithful people. The second  part of the text shows  the cause of the  phenomenon of irreligious acts in contemporary art presents that can be seen as the effect of  the changes that have taken place in Europe during the last 200 years, among which the most important  is global  cultural revolution that is defined with total secularization (the separation of culture from theology started with the French revolution).  The third part reveals the analysis of some examples of Italian  and Polish contemporary art (Andrea Serrano, Giuseppe Veneziano and Adam Rzepecki, Dorota Nieznalska, Bartłomiej Jarmoliński, Dominik Złotkowski, Adu) which presents two kinds of attitude towards religion: aggressive or soft-ironic against the catholic dogma. This aggressive or ironic acts (works of arts) – as it is demonstrated by using Hans Belting’s and Martin Lindstrom’s methodology (anthropology of image and neuromarketing) - can be defined as reproductive and imitative, as non creative and false, simply plagiarism and brandjacking. All that leads to final conclusion which postulates: scientific studies on the problem of irreligious acts in contemporary art and on the phenomenon of irreligion in devotional articles (religious kitch).