Controversy in Shock Art

From the Past to the Present

Left: Fountain, 1917Marcel Duchamp (French surrealist artist – 1887-1968)

Considered one of the forerunning examples of early-Dada sculpture, Fountain caused controversy and public outrage when it was first unveiled; the sight of a porcelain urinal – a symbol of human excretion – in a public gallery, was seen as vulgar and improper. The members of the Dada movements used their influence in the art-world to promote “anti-art” – the conceptual rebellion from traditional artistic techniques.Right: My Birth, 1932

Frida Kahlo (Mexican surrealist artist – 1907-1954)

Kahlo’s art was incredibly confrontational and risqué for its time – in this piece, she documents (in a graphic nature) her own birth – delivering us the shocking realisation of a woman’s pain whilst bearing a child. Kahlo was troubled most of her adult life with severe depression – the by-product of her disabilities and apparent infertility.

Is Duchamp’s Fountain offensive to you?Is it legitimate fine art or just a piece hoping to receive a

cheap shock?Would you pay money to see this exhibit?

Is “My Birth” too graphic? Is it suitable for all audiences?

Should we respect this artwork because it shows the true pain of childbirth?

Or would you prefer “the stork carrying a bundle of joy” approach?

GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS

Right: God Save the Queen, 1977Jamie Reid (British punk artist – 1947-present)

In his anarchic parody of the famous 1952 Cecil Beaton coronation portrait of the reigning Queen Elizabeth II, Reid (a fervent liberal ant-monarchist) “defaces” the Queen’s image with a safety pin through her lips (the safety pin being an essential accessory of any self-respecting punk) and replacing her eyes with swastikas, which were used as the emblem for the German Nazi political party (1933-1945) (this was a back-handed jab at the House of Windsor’s German ancestry and the punk movement’s thoughts about the monarchy being a “fascist regime” and a dictatorship.

Left: Self-Portrait, 1993Catherine Opie (American photographer - 1961-present)

In this photographic work, Opie cuts into the flesh of her back, a juvenile interpretation of the ideal domestic setting (a nice home in the suburbs, the sun is shining, the birds are singing in the sky above – to all the perfect American dream) but in this version, there is a gay couple (two women) living in suburbia – this is a daring protest against convention (Opie herself is an open lesbian) and challenges the pre-conceived notion that the perfect happy family has to be centred around a heterosexual relationship between a man and a woman.

Do you share Reid’s views about monarchy?Are they

noble leaders or

greedy tyrants?

Is it time for Queen Liz and the rest of the

Windsors to say toodle-pip to the British

crown and let us govern ourselves?

See The Full Story Here

RUSSIAN SITCOM ACTOR:“I think all homosexuals should be burnt alive!”

This dangerously stupid man wants to be elected President

of Russia!

GiveYour

Views…

Should this man even be allowed anywhere

near the public domain after this shocking

comment?Ivan Okhlobystin – the world’s latest

hatemonger

Left: Forget Me Knot, 2012Sruli Recht (Israeli-Icelandic artist and designer)

Recht is notorious for his use of strange and somewhat shocking use of unconventional materials in his artwork, which include whale foreskin, spider silk webbing and seal skin – in this example, the artist made the un-nerving decision to incorporate a strip of his own skin (surgically removed from his abdomen – when he was still awake!) onto a 24-karat gold ring, to highlight the concept that some humans are comfortable to wear animal skin and fur, so what not human skin and hair?Right: Myocardial Infarction, 2013

Polly Morgan (British taxidermy installation artist – 1980-present)

In a world abuzz with new-fangled technology, Morgan is an artist not afraid of using the historical zoological and curative method of taxidermy (the stuffing and mounting of deceased animals for displaying purposes); in this piece, Morgan uses a small-group of brightly-coloured tropical birds (budgies, lovebirds) which are pecking and feeding upon, what is perceived to be, a resin-preserved heart – the title of the artwork is the medical term for a casualty which is most commonly known as a heart-attack – the aforementioned heart in the piece is under attack by the birds.

Fur Flies As Gaultier Sends Models Down The Catwalk Wearing Fox Heads As HatsRead The Full Story Here

Has Gaultier crossed the line dividing art and vulgarity?

Is fur wrong?What’s your opinion? I personally eat meat and I don’t

have an objection to fur, because of this – BUT I personally wouldn’t wear fur, and I feel that this is a bit too “in your face”.