The Medusa Fora

Yes, good question Clash. I am not usually against censorship in art, but I thought using children this way was inappropriate. However they are very beautiful photos, and if you look at the following link you might understand what his work is about. There is a huge outcry about this exhibition here in Sydney, and the offending works have been removed from the exhibition. I can't find a link that sow the works that have been removed but I saw them previously. I'm not sure what I think now.
http://www.pavementmagazine.com/billhenson.html

Were the pics shown on the article mostly what was represented in the exhibition??

I saw a couple that sparked my protective-inner-mother sensor, however I still thought them very beautiful. It's art. What a shame that we are made to feel awkward when children are angelic in their very innocence. Many world famous painters - particularly from the Renaissance period often depicted half or unclad men, women, children, or babies in their works. I expect because Henson's are photographs that this is where the lines of the artistic licence are drawn.

jennylois wrote:Yes, good question Clash. I am not usually against censorship in art, but I thought using children this way was inappropriate. However they are very beautiful photos, and if you look at the following link you might understand what his work is about. There is a huge outcry about this exhibition here in Sydney, and the offending works have been removed from the exhibition. I can't find a link that sow the works that have been removed but I saw them previously. I'm not sure what I think now.
http://www.pavementmagazine.com/billhenson.html

I've clicked on the link and had a quick look at the page and didn't find the photos inappropriate - they are very good but I don't get the response that they've had in Oz, but I've not seen any of those pics - you'll find similar photos anywhere you look in a library or bookshop, with little outcry.

I agree Jon. I think the pedophilia issue is making people a bit hysterical. I have to admit to being guilty of having an opinion without fully understanding the context of his photos. The photos I have seen are portraying an adolescent vulnerability: "Australian artist Bill Henson is a passionate and visionary explorer of twilight zones, of the ambiguous spaces that exist between day and night, nature and civilization, youth and adulthood, male and female."

Art is undefinable and has the ability to evoke emotions and philosophy. It is a completely irrational and non-categorised state of mind, often leading to a clash between a regimented idealism in society and a pure abstract and anarchic state of mind. It can evoke pure feelings, whether it be disgust or awe. It seems that the majority of Australians have trouble appreciating art.

jennylois wrote:Any comments? The exhibition by Australian photographer Bill Henson showed photographs of naked 12-13 year olds.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow.as ... censorship

Having now looked at the photos they do not appear to be exploiting these children or stealing their innocence. I can understand why the photos may be controversial but I do not find them offensive. I think the description "photographs of naked 12-13 year olds" is a bit misleading.

Clash Cadillac wrote: I think the description "photographs of naked 12-13 year olds" is a bit misleading.

Well, they are photos of naked 12-13 year olds:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/ ... 89567.html
There were 20 pictures taken out of the exhibition. Unfortunately we can't see the full exhibition to put these pictures in their true context.

I'm still surprised at the major outcry here.

...and yet the semi clothed children on this site http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4070746.stm or http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=61004 pass most people by without a pause for a second thought.
You'd reckon the folks complaining about an art exhibition need to examine which subject they find more offensive.

I used to frequent a local club in the mid 80's, especially on Wednesday nights where they showcased the local "talent." Saw some very good bands, and some very entertaining bad bands. There was one guy in particular with a blonde mohawk, who would show up week after week fronting a different bad band.
Lance never made it in music, but he has certainly made his mark with his artwork. He's a big deal around here, but on the rare occasion that I run into him, we really have a good laugh at the old days at the ACL Club, now long gone.
http://www.lancerodgersart.com

Beautiful work from your friend, Derelict. It's good to have the chance here to see the work of artists that we would otherwise never see.

Here's another update on that portraits of children controversy we were discussin a short while ago. Hmm...

The NSW Government will review restrictions governing the representation of children in art, in the wake of several child nude model controversies. NSW Community Services Minister Kevin Greene said he will raise the issue at the Community Services and Disabilities Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra today.
"Recent events in NSW have highlighted how concerned the community is about how children are represented in artworks and publications," Mr Greene said in a statement. "This is clearly a complex issue. No one wants the government to be the arbiter of artistic merit, but where there is a concern that an image of a child has been obtained inappropriately, or is displayed or publicised inappropriately, then some parts of the community want to see measures put in place that protect children."
The announcement comes a week after the Classification Board approved another photograph of a naked child. The board ruled last Wednesday that the July edition of Art Monthly, which featured a naked image of six-year-old Olympia Nelson on the cover, taken by her mother Pollixeni Papapetrou in 2003, deserved an Unrestricted: M rating, which means it is suitable for publication, though discretion is advised for people under the age of 15.
The NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos said on Friday he would ask the relevent ministers to review the National Classification Scheme. "I will be proposing that the censorship ministers agree to review the operation of the national classification scheme with a view to improving the protection of children," Mr Hatzistergos said.
The Australia Council is also proceeding with plans to develop a protocol for the representation of children in projects they fund, following a request from Prime Minster Kevin Rudd. "We need to make sure the protocols are thoroughly put together, balancing community concerns and artistic freedoms," an Australia Council spokesman said.
But the father of the girl involved in the latest art scandal, Melbourne art critic Robert Nelson, says the classification system is irrelevant to this debate anyway, given that most objections to images of naked children are that it would appeal to paedophiles, not damage young viewers. "Their argument is not about protecting children from seeing the image, it's about protecting children from being seen by adults," he told the Herald.
The furore over the magazine came only a month after police seized works of naked adolescents by renowned photographer Bill Henson, sparking a national debate about art censorship and child pornography. Those images were eventually classified PG and returned to the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery.
Josephine Tovey July 23, 2008 - 10:22AM

Daniel Danger.

If you click on the artwork image you'll get more pics:

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/74264

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/70218

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/74182

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/53347

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/38681

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/53431

http://www.expressobeans.com/public/detail.php/42604

I've seen only one thing by him, but it's one of the two arty things that was impressed on me on that school trip to Austria, the other being the great Hundertwasserhaus in Wien. It was a photograph by Jeff Wall called "Man with a rifle"

Clash Cadillac wrote:Hands down Chris Mars. Photos of his work do not do justice to the beauty up close. He has been called a "modern day master".

Chris Mars Publishing

...

Wow, super awesome, Clash! Went right into my favourites

Jenny tell some more about this newest Exhibition your work is going in, please.

Oh Bookish how kind of you to inquire. As I mentioned in the Life Sucks thread, a painting of mine has been accepted to hang in the Dirty Show in Sydney in Feb. The Dirty Show is an erotic art show which started in Detroit 9 years ago and this year is the first time it is being held simultaneously in Sydney, so I'm thrilled that my work has been accepted.