Nude art a rude shock in Islamabad
Toilet, Graphic 40x32cm by Amin-ul-Islam
(photograph courtesy of the NAG)
Requesting anonymity, an artist told Daily Times that the NAG management should understand that the gallery was a public property and only such items should be put on display that pleased the public. “In a private gallery one can project the art one likes but at NAG one can’t risk projecting art of their choice,” he said.
Following the agenda of “enlightened moderation”, the PNCA is portraying women not more than an entity or a showpiece and more surprisingly three women own “Khazana”, which displays female nude.
There is a four-year contract of the souvenir shop between Nageen Rehman, Ghania Baddar and Attiya Zafar and the PNCA.
PNCA defends: Jamal Shah, PNCA Executive Director, said that nude art was a creation of senior artist Naseem Hafiz Qazi, which was put on display on a temporary basis. However, he denied its unacceptability by the public.
“It is just an allegation that people don’t like this art. In fact a huge number of people appreciate it,” he insisted.
He said the galleries and museums of the world project such art then why could not Pakistan project it. “The gallery should present all kinds of art and there is no harm in presenting nude art when a number of people like it,” he defended.
[From Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan - Nude art at Khazana shocks public]
I disagree that a museum’s job is to present work that appeals to everyone. I see it as the point of a museum to push our minds, to make us think of new concepts in new ways, to remember the mistakes of the past and to look towards the future. I think their role is to challenge and defy our conventions of thinking. I would even go so far as to say that the museum’s responsibility is to help us forge new cognitive paths forward.
I do think that it is very progressive of the Islamabad National Art Gallery to display nude artworks, a huge leap forward when so many middle eastern museums and galleries ban nude art as a matter of course. The outcry can hardly be unexpected given the conservative religious attitudes of many of it’s patrons. and to run two exhibitions recently with nudes is a big step that cannot have been undertaken lightly. The progressive attitude of this gallery continues with over 60% female artists. The gallery is laid out in a series of themed rooms, still lifes, landscapes and of course, nudes. the layout strikes me as a prudent way to display a key area of art and art history while still respecting the religious views of a large portion of the population.
Museum fears children seeing nudes, not decapitations
Barocco en la Frontera” contains more than two dozen of Gonzalez’s drawings and paintings. Several of them are nude figure studies and three have full frontal nudity. It is those three that have caused the controversy. Joel Humphries, director of Arts and Entertainment for the city, said it was all a case of bad timing.In the museum’s other gallery is “Taking Flight: A History of Kites.” Humphries said hundreds of local school children are scheduled to tour the exhibit within the next month. “We didn’t want some child wandering in there, supervised or not supervised … and then the next thing you know we have upset parents calling city commissioners,” Humphries said.
Gabriel Gonzalez, the city official, said he originally wanted to display the three works in question in a separate room with a closed door. Rigoberto Gonzalez said the city official first wanted the paintings removed entirely or put in a separate room where people were required to sign in before viewing them.
The compromise reached was that the doors to the gallery would remain closed and display a warning sign about the content. Patricia Morales, museum coordinator for HAHM, said the works are executed in a classical style and are hardly obscene. “I’m very proud that we’re exhibiting them,” she said. “They’re very beautiful.”
[From Now: Art show featuring nudity, decapitation causes stir | city, exhibit, gonzalez : TheMonitor.com]
What is interesting about this situation is that there has been no outcry about the violent pieces including decapitations. surely, if the museum was truly concerned about children seeing images that may scar them the violent images would be at the top of the list? but no, as usual everyone is afraid that the mere sight of a nude body will send children off the deep end. or is it just that our society is now so warped that something natural that we all have is more shameful and disgusting than the violence surrounding us.
Gonzalez’s works are inspired by baroque style and he cites art history as a source of bloody and violent works. Classically, violence, often inspired by biblical stories, was a favorite subject, nudes and the female form were almost as prevalent. It seems a real shame that these pieces are now behind closed doors, I had a chance to see some of his works on this youtube video and they look stunning. very much in the style of the masters (and some of my favorite artists) and I venture that this exhibition might be educational to kids as it explores the underworld and the way drug deals can go wrong. Gonzalez is a teacher and judging by the comments on his youtube, his students are aware of his works and not particularly scarred by them. when did we start feeling a need to shield kids from reality?
Obsession
I am becoming completely obsessed with 3D modeling in Daz|Studio. it started as a way for me to create, pose and light my ideal models then pick my angle for the image to paint. it is the best way for me to get the poses and angles I want, with the models I want and no back talk! it’s free, easy to use and as I am rapidly discovering, very very addictive.
It doesn’t help that there is a wealth of wonderful free or inexpensive content out there and I am a bit of a collection freak so I can’t help but download everything. I’ve spent the last few days trying to sort out all of my resources but it’s becoming a never-ending task! (not helped by the fact that I download almost as much as I sort..) I prefer D|S to Poser even though it isn’t as powerful, it’s substantially faster, and it suits my needs perfectly. plus it’s free.
I used to use myself for a reference or my own mind, but lately my poses and angles have been getting more adventurous, and harder to realize without reference. this provides me with a perfect opportunity to work at my own pace, and play with fun technology. now if only I could stop playing long enough to paint something!
I’d put in one of my images but I’m waiting for the render…
Baby steps
Crawl – 36 x 48 Acrylics, Pastels and Gesso on Canvas by Jennie Rosenbaum
I have been working on building up my strength. I have goals in the future that require me to have more mobility and physical strength than I currently have. the key is, that I have to only do a tiny amount at a time. I’m the sort of person who goes in (and sometimes off) the deep end, I like to push myself, I like to be better, faster, stronger.. and I used to be able to do everything without limits. now I have very strict and rough limits and my body is pretty much at them the whole time. it’s taken me a few years to learn that I can’t just push myself and I can’t just expect the same standards I used to have, strange but true.
Having realized this, I was finally able to start on the baby steps I need to take to increase my range of motion. literally, tiny steps up and down that become the basis for easier use of stairs. finally, at the end of March I was able to surprise my dad for his birthday by walking up to his apartment. I still used my cane and the balustrade and I moved slowly but I managed a flight of stairs. I am now working on making that stronger and more confident.
Change of focus
Languid – 18×36 Acrylic and gesso on Canvas
this myspace debarcle has burnt me out of a lot of social media at the moment, at least for non art related media. so, I am changing tack and developing what I know and love. I am going to focus on my Blog, my Redbubble account (which has been neglected terribly) and my flickr. build up my contacts and focus on networking there, where freedom of expression is encouraged rather than quashed.
So many marketing newsletters have come to me lately saying that not one person can do everything, that we all have to sort out our priorities and not spread ourselves too thin and I think that this is a lesson I really need to learn. I work crazy hours until I crash, recover slowly from the exhaustion (feeling guilty for not working all the while) until I am ready to work again. I get distracted by a new shiny site and I am off and signed up and working away and my focus is spread so thin you can use it for a supermodel. it’s just too much! especially when I am trying to pick up my studio hours. so no more!
…at least for now 
Dear myspace..
Doubt – 24x 20 Oils on Canvas by Jennie Rosenbaum
Dear Customer service, I have been trying to get a response to a question by a human so far without success. now it appears that even the bots are disregarding my politely worded question.
My account has been recently deleted. I am an artist specializing in tasteful expressive nudes dealing with women’s issues such as body image. none of my paintings show anything more than I have seen on any other myspace page in photographs, sometimes depicting minors. my works are enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds and will be featured on prime time national television here shortly.
What I am after is a statement on the T&C’s nudity prohibition. I would like to know:
- What counts as nudity to myspace – how much of a body needs to be unclothed for it to contravene the T&C?
- What body parts may or may not be shown on a myspace page? please be specific here – breasts, nipples, buttocks, mound of venus, vulva, peni, etc.
- What is the opinion of myspace of Not Safe for Work practices? Most people consider NSFW to consist of nudity in a sexual or arousing context as opposed to a more utilitarian one.
- What is the degree of censorship to painted/sculpted nudes as opposed to photographic nudes?
- What is the degree of censorship to artworks as opposed to other members’ nude and semi nude happy snaps?
I would like to start a new page and try to regain the ground I have lost but I would like to know the details of the nudity clause so that I don’t contravene it, and so that other artists may use myspace without fear of losing their hard work as well. please be as detailed as possible in your response, I would prefer to have too much information rather than not enough – not enough information is what led to this problem in the first place.
I eagerly await your response,
Sincerely,
Jennie Rosenbaum
http://www.jennierosenbaum.com
a narrow view of nudity
Of course there is a long tradition of the female nude, but it’s one that is by and large repudiated by feminist painters and theorists; the reviled “male gaze”, all that. Why, then, do women artists so readily volunteer for this same gaze? Why, where men’s art typically says “look at this”, does women’s art now typically say “look at me”?
This article is a stunning example of the modern attitude towards nudity. a response to Germaine Greer’s recent article on women’s art and to the Moran prize winner this article is naive and clearly written by someone woefully ignorant of art and art history. Contrasting feminism and mills and boon the writer equates nudity with sex and considers all nudity created by women to be narcissistic and sexual, especially if it has the artist in it.
my response, how about writing a cohesive article about a subject you understand and have researched? perhaps take the time to go to a gallery, see nude art, talk to the artists. go to a library and look at some images from art history, nudes by men and women, male nudes, female nudes, and self portraits. don’t jump on a band wagon half cocked because you see a buzz area. for recent news go and look at Nancy “beth” reid’s self portrait, look at moran winner Fiona Lowry’s with What I Assume You Shall Assume, (to pick two recent newsworthy pieces) really really look at them, don’t avert your eyes- look into theirs and try to see everything they wanted to say. then come back and tell me it’s all sexual.
Nude Friday Quote
Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. The nude is condemned to never being naked. Nudity is a form of dress.
John Berger
More on the Student Art competition nude scandal
A better image of the should-be winner – Nancy “beth” Reid’s nude.
In a followup to the recent story about robbing two young artists of a competition win and prize money for daring to enter nudes, several Virginian columnists have had their say about their feelings on the matter. These two articles particularly stuck in my mind as excellently worded chastisements on a very badly handled and badly executed debacle. Tamara Dietrich from The Daily Press had this to say:
No nudity? Say it right out. And don’t pre-screen 600-plus entries down to the 62 that De Groft was given to choose from, leave in “inappropriate” art, then call for a do-over when your juror makes his choice.
And next year? Good luck landing jurors with the stature of De Groft or Howe. Art experts tend to not take it well when their judgment gets publicly disrespected. When they’re assured they have absolute final say in selecting a winner … except not really.
In fact, why not leave art experts out of the equation entirely from now on and just hand the decision-making over to advertising and marketing.
And you know you may have made a bad decision when an employee columnist from the newspaper that started it all has this to say:
We in the news business go to great lengths to shield minors. Slapping a blue ribbon on a picture of a naked high school senior, perhaps reprinting the work in the paper and using it in a slide show, goes against our protective instincts.
The first judge departed and a second was summoned.
Enter Scott Howe, director of education and public programs at the Chrysler. He studied the works and selected a sculpture of a nude pregnant torso as best in the show.
The representatives of the paper groaned. No nudes, they said.
“I was told I wasn’t allowed to honor either girl in any way,” Howe said.
If that was the case, Howe said he told the organizers, they should remove those off-limit items from the judging. They refused. So he, too, walked o
[From What exactly was on display in student art competition? | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com]
Both Reid and Childs, the artists who were censored out of their rightful winnings have received checks from the community for the same amount as the prize money by way of saying sorry. It’s so nice to hear that the community has rallied to support these talented young artists.
Take me to the Kittens!
I haven’t browsed Flickr for a while but I thought I would get back into it again a bit.. I was looking through one of my contacts, who has the adult content filter on his works only to see this delightful message. and yes, it does indeed take you to kittens. many many kittens.
If you’ve changed your mind about wanting to see this content, you can ESCAPE. – TAKE ME TO THE KITTENS!
Well, I hadn’t seen it before (I usually don’t have a filter up, I have no idea why it was there now..) and it greatly amused me to say the least! delightfully tongue in cheek 
New Nude – Falling
well, after weeks of work I feel it is finally ready. I still think the blindfold is a little static but it is as ready as it’s going to be. in a way, the precision of the blindfold contrasts with the chaos and looseness of the figure. I wanted to capture movement and an element of fear. those who have seen it in person (before this stage) have all said that they don’t know if she jumped or was pushed but that it is free and frightening all at the same time. this is a compliment! I am happy with her motion and the looseness of the brushstrokes. I am probably as happy as I am going to be with the blindfold (knowing that I will never truly be satisfied there!)
I think the impact of this series when brought together will be quite something..
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