Stefan Strumbel: Divine Intervention
By Veronica Christina
Threatened with demolition due to lack of attendance, the closure of the 100 yr-old, Mary, Help of Christians Church would have displaced hundreds of worshipers in the tiny German town of Goldscheuer. Enter Stefan Strumbel. 
The artist approached the church with an idea of a thoroughly modern intervention. Most known for his colorful cuckoo clocks and crucifixes sporting hand grenedes and toy riffles, Strumbel’s art analyzes the clichéd notions of “home”– drawing the viewer close with candy-soaked colors and shiny textures then provoking them with controversial, often very personal, content.
The church walls, painted in dark gray stripes, point toward the altar where a 20-ft high Madonna holds an infant Jesus in her arms. The carved, wooden crucifixion scene, once hanging above the pulpit, has been removed and will be outfitted with multi-colored LED lights before being rehung. Cartoon-like thought clouds flank the entrance–the light from candles placed underneath will serve as a symbol of silent 
prayer. Since it’s re-opening on July 1, the church has seen a 60% increase in attendance. 
“Maybe some will find this blasphemous,” says Barbara Martin, an architect from the Archdiocese of Freiburg in Der Spiegel, “But it will always be provocative.”
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