Organisers say the exhibition is designed to “integrate areas of human knowledge that exist outside the boundaries of traditional art making” .
Among the more controversial pieces are two from Paul Fryer, whose works include an ape being crucified on a cross and a waxwork of a black Jesus being electrocuted.
In a promotional brochure he admitted the images were “provocative”.
Indeed. Only likely to provoke the people who’ll issue angry letters to the newspapers or denounce you in the ‘church Times’, of course…
The director of All Visual Arts admitted some people would be shocked by the exhibition but rejected suggestions it was designed to purely shock.
The curator, 49, dismissed such claims as “ridiculous” and “shallow”, adding that art should “create curiosity and promote learning”.
By poking fun at safe targets, and ensuring real taboos (the sort likely to get you
stabbed to death in the streets or
fleeing the country) are safe.
6 comments:
Quite so, Julia.
I also risk the Curator's heretic award for my belief that innate sense requires no expert assistance to distinguish Art from trash.
Mitch Benn wrote a song which someone kindly illustrated and YouTubed on the subject of challenging Art
WOAR - The Germans did display good taste when otherwise engaged in starting and losing Wars. I put them slightly ahead of Mitch Benn in recognising an appropriate dustbin for degenerate work.
This is nonsense. We all know that Jesus was a white Anglo Saxon and spoke perfect English.
Which just shows what a visionary he was. At least 1000 years ahead of his time, I'd say.
"I also risk the Curator's heretic award for my belief that innate sense requires no expert assistance to distinguish Art from trash."
Quite. An unmade bed? I 'create' one of those every morning!
"Mitch Benn wrote a song which someone kindly illustrated and YouTubed on the subject of challenging Art"
Excellent!
Im a 22 year old female Muslim, I jus thought you might find this newspaper article interesting, by the way just to clarify, the art created by the artist is disgusting,I understood completely why Christians reacted the way they did. I dont however agree with you that it is only Muslims who react in such a manner, when something sacred to them is mocked in the name of religion, as shown below...why did you even need to mention a black Mohmamed in an electric chair, I mean it wasnt a muslim artist, its just unneccasry for you to make this a muslim issue...
Angelique Chrisafis, Paris
April 20, 2011
ANDRES Serrano’s Piss Christ has been destroyed by Christians who broke into a French gallery and slashed the photograph after weeks of protests.
The New York photographer’s controversial work shows a small crucifix submerged in a glass of the artist’s urine.
It outraged the US religious right in 1987, when it was first shown. It was vandalised in Melbourne in 1997, and neo-Nazis ransacked a Swedish show by the artist in 2007.
The work has previously been shown without incident in France, but for the past two weeks Catholic groups have campaigned against it, culminating in hundreds of people marching through Avignon on Saturday in protest.
On Sunday morning, four people in sunglasses entered the gallery. One took a hammer from his sock and threatened security staff. A guard restrained one man but the others managed to smash an acrylic screen and slash the photograph with what police believe was a screwdriver or ice pick.
Last week the gallery complained of ”extremist harassment” by Christians who wanted the image banned.
The Archbishop of Vaucluse, Jean-Pierre Cattenoz, called the work ”odious” and said he wanted ”this trash” taken off the gallery walls. Saturday’s street protest against the work gained the support of the far-right National Front.
The owner of the work, Yvon Lambert, had complained he was being ”persecuted” by religious extremists who had sent him tens of thousands of emails. He likened the atmosphere to the Middle Ages.
French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand condemned the vandalism as an attack on the fundamental freedoms of creation and expression.
The gallery’s director, Eric Mezil, said he would keep the exhibition open to the public with the destroyed work on show ”so people can see what barbarians can do”.
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