Saints Polyeuctus and Nearchus

The artwork tells the hagiography of Saints Polyeuctus and Nearchus written by emojis. They had a close and loving relationship, therefore they may be called gay saints.  

Saints Nearchus and Polyeuctus. 2018, pigment print, 27,6 x 25,3 cm.

Representatives of sexual minorities hardly appear in traditional Christian ecclesiastical art, at most as warning examples in the fire of hell. However, there are a few examples in martyrdom stories of deeply attached same-sex couples that can be interpreted as LGBT pairs if desired.

The works in the New Icons series tell four martyr stories told with such popular emoji icons today. The stories are saturated with violence, and tell the feelings of the victims in an emotional way. What is saddest about these stories, however, is that they tell of oppression of a minority community (early Christians), the community that later began to oppress other minorities inter alia sexual minorities.