Tweet
Re: Complaint about big bamboo
A response to the letter
<span style="font-weight: bold">One man's obscenity, another's art</span>
Published: Saturday | September 11, 2010 10 Comments and 0 Reactions The Editor, Sir:
Please allow me to respond to the letter written by Kent Gammon regarding the art pieces displayed in the Fern Gully.
Mr Gammon and his supporters have failed to appreciate the fact that concepts of morality and obscenity tend to be personal or cultural and, as such, what one person or a particular culture finds immoral or obscene may very well be enlightening or quite acceptable by another. The reverse is also true, that what one person or culture may deem to be 'normal' or acceptable may well be viewed as barbaric, unjust, or antiquated by another.
Examples may quickly be seen in how certain persons or cultures view art, which is at the centre of this issue, or the role of women, mixed-race relations, abortion, same-sex relations, children born out of wedlock, or the death penalty.
Unfortunately, the end result is usually that those with the power and influence (whether in the minority or not) are able to exact their notions of morality, decency and, consequently, 'acceptability' over others.
The Rastafarian statues with large erect penises, as he notes, naturally offend him because he finds their depiction lewd, unnatural and obscene. But nudity by itself is not obscene, nor is its depiction in art. Art is what it is. And while we can find it tasteful or distasteful, we must be mature enough to understand that there will always be a different interpretation open to art and a market for it. As such, what we find tasteless may well be remarkable to others.
Throughout history, art, artists and craftsmen have had to contend with the prejudices of others. From Renaissance greats such as Michelangelo and da Vinci, to the famous southern temples in India adorned with nudity and sexual imagery, to the modern graffiti style works of Banksy.
For art to survive, it must be left open to varying degrees of interpretations and styles. An erect penis in Fern Gully is not offensive; nor does it contribute to moral decay in our society.
I am, etc.,
AL
[email protected]
A response to the letter
<span style="font-weight: bold">One man's obscenity, another's art</span>
Published: Saturday | September 11, 2010 10 Comments and 0 Reactions The Editor, Sir:
Please allow me to respond to the letter written by Kent Gammon regarding the art pieces displayed in the Fern Gully.
Mr Gammon and his supporters have failed to appreciate the fact that concepts of morality and obscenity tend to be personal or cultural and, as such, what one person or a particular culture finds immoral or obscene may very well be enlightening or quite acceptable by another. The reverse is also true, that what one person or culture may deem to be 'normal' or acceptable may well be viewed as barbaric, unjust, or antiquated by another.
Examples may quickly be seen in how certain persons or cultures view art, which is at the centre of this issue, or the role of women, mixed-race relations, abortion, same-sex relations, children born out of wedlock, or the death penalty.
Unfortunately, the end result is usually that those with the power and influence (whether in the minority or not) are able to exact their notions of morality, decency and, consequently, 'acceptability' over others.
The Rastafarian statues with large erect penises, as he notes, naturally offend him because he finds their depiction lewd, unnatural and obscene. But nudity by itself is not obscene, nor is its depiction in art. Art is what it is. And while we can find it tasteful or distasteful, we must be mature enough to understand that there will always be a different interpretation open to art and a market for it. As such, what we find tasteless may well be remarkable to others.
Throughout history, art, artists and craftsmen have had to contend with the prejudices of others. From Renaissance greats such as Michelangelo and da Vinci, to the famous southern temples in India adorned with nudity and sexual imagery, to the modern graffiti style works of Banksy.
For art to survive, it must be left open to varying degrees of interpretations and styles. An erect penis in Fern Gully is not offensive; nor does it contribute to moral decay in our society.
I am, etc.,
AL
[email protected]
I like that quote 
[/quote]
Comment