Locating religion in contemporary art

The place of religion in the context of contemporary art is fraught and complex. This article discusses three prominent ways in which religion is explored in contemporary art: in sociopolitics, in art that transgresses, and in the creation of spaces of contemplation, some of which may be ‘religious’. Each of these ways have in common the exploration of religion primarily in terms of its lived experience and practices (within identity and the material world) rather than through religious belief or the institutions of religion.