DC Art Collection Honors The Passion of Christ

WASHINGTON DC -- In Washington DC, under a veil of politics, a thought-provoking creation attempts to depict Jesus' passion through various works of art.  

Stations of the Cross is a collection of 14 pieces of art reflecting the final hours of Jesus' life. 

The exhibit was modeled after Jesus' Via Dolorosa, or his 'way of sorrow' and his journey to the cross.  

Each piece attempts to reconcile the pain of the cross with the pain felt by people around the world. 

Rev. Catriona Laing, the collection's co-curator, told CBN News she hopes each piece brings a message of hope while simultaneously bringing light to suffering around the world. 

For example, the piece titled, Jesus is Condemned to Death, is located directly across from the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The artist, Ndume Olatushani, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death. He spent 28 years in prison before being released in 2012.

"It is a whole series of figures in orange jumpsuits, one of them is in a cage that he has made the size of a solitary confinement cell, the kind of cell he spent 22-23 hours a day for all those years," explained Laing. 

"What Undome is doing with this piece is reminding people of the vast number of people who are wrongly condemned to death, exactly as Jesus was," Laing continued.  

Laing says Undome has no bitterness about that conviction but hopes to set the record straight about wrongful imprisonment through works of art. 

Another piece, Jesus Falls For the Third Time, attempts to bring light to the Syrian refugee crisis. The piece, titled Lamentation for the Forsaken, uses a replica of the Shroud of Turin. The artist then uses a digital overlay highlighting the names of those killed since the Syrian war began. 

In yet another work, Jesus Is Nailed To The Cross, there is a large wooden cross. Its rich history drives home the importance of Christianity in the United States. 

Using a modern twist, visitors to the exhibits can download an app that allows them to learn about the artwork as the walk throughout the city. That virtual tour is led by various clergy members and artists. 

The exhibition is on display in Washington, DC though Easter Sunday.