Shock art
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Shock art is art that utilizes disturbing imagery, sound or scents to create a shocking experience. While the art form's proponents argue that it is "imbedded with social commentary" and critics dismiss it as "cultural pollution", it is an increasingly marketable art, described by one art critic in 2001 as "the safest kind of art that an artist can go into the business of making today".[1][2] But while shock art may attract curators and make headlines, Reason magazine's 2007 review of The Art Newspaper suggested that traditional art shows continue to have more popular appeal.[3]
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[edit] History
While the movement has become increasingly mainstream, the roots of shock art run deep into art history; Royal Academy curator Norman Rosenthal noted in the catalog for the "shock art" exhibit Sensation in 1997 that artists have always been in the business of conquering "territory that hitherto has been taboo".[1] In China, which experienced an active "shock art" movement following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989,[4] encroachment on the taboo has led the Ministry of Culture to attempt a crackdown on the artform,[5] banning the use of corpses or body parts in art.[6]
[edit] Select notable examples
- 12 Square Meters, a 1994 performance art display by Zhang Huan in Beijing wherein Huan "lathered his nude body in honey and fish oil" and exposed himself to "swarming flies and insects".[4]
- Fountain, a urinal placed on exhibit by Marcel Duchamp, a pioneer of the form, in 1917.[7] In 2004, Fountain was selected in a survey of 500 artists and critics as "the most influential work of modern art".[8]
- Führer, (1966), Gottfried Helnwein painted a picture of Adolf Hitler with his own blood [9], [10]. 1996 Helnwein paints the Adoration of the Magi with Baby Jesus as Adolf Hitler [11], which has been displayed at the at the State Russian Museum St. Petersburg, the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Denver Art Museum [12], Museum Ludwig a.o.
- Helena: The Goldfish Blender, a 2000 display of live goldfish in blenders which viewers were invited to turn on, by Marco Evaristti.[13]
- The Holy Virgin Mary, a black Virgin Mary, with elephant dung, before a background of pornography, by Chris Ofili.[1]
- Merda d’Artis-ta (1961), a series of 40 tin cans allegedly filled with the excrement of artist Piero Manzoni which have been displayed in the collections of Tate, Pompidou and New York City's Museum of Modern Art.[7]
- Myra, (1997) a portrait of murderer Myra Hindley constructed of children's handprints, by Marcus Harvey.[7]
- Orgies of Mystery Theatre, by Hermann Nitsch, a display of music and dance in the midst of "dismembered animal corpses", at 1966's Destruction in Art Symposium.[7]
[edit] Further reading
- Shock art hits London. BBC.
- Shock art show opens. BBC.
- Shock art and dirty politics. American Repertory Theatre.
- Shock of the nude: the artistic license to offend Partial Observer
- Shock art with horror for all to enjoy The Guardian
- Shock Art: Round Up the Usual Defenses The New York Times
- Artists have rights, and so do taxpayers The New York Times
[edit] See also
- Transgressive art
- Jake and Dinos Chapman
- Gottfried Helnwein
- Damien Hirst
- Robert Mapplethorpe
- Andres Serrano
- Kara Walker
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Silberman, Vanessa. (March 2001) Inside shock art. Art Business News Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ Sawhill, Ray. (October 12, 2000). Art for politics' sake. Salon. Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ Miller, Cheryl. {January 2007) Crying censorship. Reason Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ a b Pearlman, Ellen. Zhang Huan altered states. The Brooklyn Rail. Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ Baby-eating art show sparks upset. BBC. (January 3, 2003). Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ Pomfret, John (July 31, 2001), “Shock artists take freedom to new lows”, The Washington Post: Style
- ^ a b c d Owen, Richard. (June 12, 2007). The work of art that didn't do what it said on the tin The Times (London). Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ World's best art piece? A urinal CNN. (December 2, 2004). Accessed October 31, 2007.
- ^ Peter Selz, Helnwein, the Artist as Provocateur, The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, 1996
- ^ Scott Timberg, Gottfried Helnwein arouses creative tumult,, Los Angeles Times, 18. June 2005
- ^ Julia Pascal, Nazi Dreaming, New Statesman, UK, 10 April 2006,
- ^ Gwen F. Chanzit, Denver Art Museum, "Radar, Selections from the Collection of Vicki and Kent Logan", 2006
- ^ Zinsmeister, Karl. When art becomes inhuman. The American Enterprise, a magazine of Politics, Business, and Culture. Hosted with permission at Art Renewal Center. Accessed October 31, 2007.
