Terry Richardson: The Sacred and The Profane

Famous for his underground shots of New York in the 1990s, controversial celebrity photographer Terry Richardson's latest exhibit heads deep into the red landscapes of western America. Richardson set out to take shots of fairs and festivals in Grand Canyon surroundings, but soon focused on the region's juxtaposition of Catholicism and a thriving sex industry. 

Richardson’s bright, playful photographs show cars brandishing ‘Jesus loves you’ stickers and religious roadside billboards alongside flashing signs of naked women, adult video posters and ads for adult entertainment. Although there's an over-reliance on infantile interpretations of religious slogans like ‘You can't enter Heaven unless Jesus enters you’ and ‘The most powerful position is on your knees’, he succeeds in portraying a society split by contradictory values and tormented by constant feelings of frustration and guilt.