On this week’s Art History Uncensored, we’ll be diving into James Colomina’s new sculpture Tu ne tueras point, aka Thou Shalt Not Kill. Or, you may have seen it circulating this week under the name Uzi Jesus. The controversy here is almost self-explanatory, but let’s dive in.
And we are sorry to disappoint the Dungeon Crawler Carl fans out there, but this statue has no direct ties to the franchise. Just wanted to rip that band-aid off before we move along.
Uzi Jesus
Last week, Colomina posted his new work to social media. It depicts a 2-meter (6.5-foot) tall, bright red resin statue of the crucifixion. Except Jesus’ hands/writs aren’t nailed to the cross; they are holding, you guessed it, Uzis. The images of the new work were captioned with: “Thou shalt not kill. L’Aérosol, Marseille, 2026.”
“We invented religions, laws, and principles,” the post adds. “Then we invented a thousand reasons to break them.”
So this is an intentionally blasphemous depiction of Jesus holding weapons in both hands, titled after the 6th commandment in scripture. Yeah, the point here isn’t subtle. There is a huge and obvious contradiction with a group that claims killing is a sin, then launching wars and committing violence in the name of the same deity. We’re not trying to dismiss this work by making it sound reductive. Its symbolism is incredibly obvious, and sometimes the direct approach is the most powerful one.
On September 12th, the work went on display at L’Aérosol Marseille, a venue dedicated to street art and graffiti. It was initially displayed outside, and religious news outlets became outraged over the depiction of Christ. Due to fears over the controversy, it has since been moved inside to prevent possible vandalism.
Thou Shalt Not Kill is scheduled to remain on display until November 1st.
