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Re: Censorship issues
This is where the concept of intent comes in and the idea of forewarning.
If I take a risqué image of a sexual act, then display it in an adult
magazine, when they you looking in that magazine have been forewarned that
you are very likely to see pornography images there. On the other hand if I
display this image in a gallery and my intent was not to depict the sexual
act in a pornographic way, then the work may very well be art. But in the
gallery setting you may be more offended, or I might offend others, because
they do not expect to see these sorts of things in a gallery setting. For
me this is just a safe excuse. I have a very hard time on where to draw the
line between art and pornography. As far as the right for artists to show
work I think that they should be allowed to show anything that they like.
If I am offended, then that is my subjective reaction, based on my moral
standards. My entire show that will open in Dec is about just this issue.
I have photographed naked bodies and put them up there on the wall. My
intent is not for them to be anything. If someone sees them as beautiful or
pornographic, or feels ashamed or shocked by the images, then that is a
reflection of themselves. I have present neutral images and everyone is
going to react differently. That is the whole point of my show, that the
world of art is so subjective and by noticing your own reaction you can
learn something more about yourself. If anyone is interested the show
'Mirror' will be on exhibit from Dec 3-16 in San Francisco, at the 625
Gallery, 625 Sutter Street, with or without the one censored image.
Gary Miller