Mother Theresa is a ‘gangster’ according to artist Ren Hardgrave.
Hardgrave is teaching community work crews to express themselves through art.
The crews have been transforming urban landscapes, covering negative images and crass words with empowering expressions of creativity.
One piece in particular has caught public attention. A large mural of Mother Theresa with her hands making the infamous ‘Bloods’ gang sign.
Hardgrave says the idea for the Mother Theresa piece came from a group of community workers he was working with.
They got the opportunity to do a piece under a bridge and when discussing ideas they decided that they ‘wanted to put up a real gangster like Biggie’.
Hardgrave suggested they put up Mother Theresa instead, someone he considered a gangster as she was a kuia who decided to live among the poor in Calcutta, India, healing the sick and looking after people living in conditions of extreme poverty.
“She was a saint who helped her community. That’s a gangster,” says Hardgrave.
“The reason that her hand is pulling the “blood” sign represents the blood of Christ. She’s protected by the blood of Christ. That’s what art is, it’s one thing to look and another to know the meaning”.
A church group came down and blessed the mural and now people consider her to protect people who pass over the bridge.
“She’s been there a year now and no-one’s tagged over her,” says Hardgrave, “This was a notorious area for people to tag swearwords and sexual things and it was just ugly.
“Now it’s something people come down to look at and respect.”