#koudounaris

ILLEGAL GALLERY PRESENTS: Blinged out Skulls

The collection, entitled “Heavenly Bodies,” explores a treasure trove of underground tombs, all thought to hold the remains of early Christian martyrs.

“Skeletons of these supposed saints were subsequently sent to Catholic churches and religious houses in German-speaking Europe to replace holy relics that had been destroyed in the wake of the Protestant Reformation,“ explains Koudounaris’ book of the same name. Basically, after much of the religious art was destroyed by Protestants, the 16th century church decided to treat selected skeletons as if they were saints. The lucky skeletons were then blinged out from skull to toe, drenched in wigs, crowns, jewels, furs and armor.

Koudounaris’ photographs allow a glimpse into the Baroque corners of the most glamorous human remains we could ever imagine, traversing burial grounds from Bolivia to Switzerland to Indonesia. The stunning photographs capture a dark and decadent ritual just on the heels of Dia de los Muertos. We haven’t been so entranced and creeped out at the same time since riding Pirates of the Caribbean.

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