April 19, 2008

I want to go back to the thread I had going a few days ago concerning creating controversial art. When I was a kid my father always accused me of doing things differently just to be different. Actually this wasn't the case as I did things my way which may have been different from the way most people approach things. Although I am well aware that some of my pieces will be controversial that is not the motivating factor in creating them. When I'm developing a new piece I open myself to find something universal that I want to comment on. In one piece "The Lesbian Amish" I was imagining what life would be like for an Amish woman living with her lesbianism repressed. Many people who viewed this piece found it offensive as I was mocking the Amish lifestyle when in fact I was only comparing living in the closet for both Amish and non Amish persons.

April 17, 2008

I realize with some controversial pieces they will never be shown in the usual art forums (i.e.. juried shows). That's my summation anyway. So I set my sights on an unjuried show that would take place in any city that had its own newspaper. If my piece is protest worthy in any respect it could reach the media through a local newspaper. Unfortunately controversial pieces don't always get front stage as I found out in a Biennial several years ago. My piece "The Menstruation Theatre" was juried in the show but placed down the hall to the restrooms, past the the coat check. It took a bit of effort to actually find the piece. It reminds me of DuChamps piece in the Philadelphia Museum of Art which is in the further-most corner of the museum in a small dark room. In my next blog I will tackle my reasons for doing controversial pieces and how they do and don't work to an artist's (my) advantage.