Stephanie Key’s nude photos have her father’s support

I really approve of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s reaction to his Daughter’s photoshoot. He sent her to one of the best art schools in the world, the Paris College of Art, and is then thrilled to see that she is using her tuition to create the art she wants to create. His comments were not those of a politician, carefully primed and written, heading off a crisis or a threat to his career as some sources have implied, his words are those of a proud dad. not an embarrassed dad, but an encouraging and supportive one.

Not all artists are created equal – Graham Ovenden convicted

Not all artists are concerned with the pursuit of art. not all artists toil away nobly trying to get the world to see the beauty around them. some artists are in it for the money, or for the fame or sometimes, thankfully rarely, for the nekkid people. and some artists are just scumbags. “one of…

Nudes Clothed in protest in China

The online campaign began on Monday after a national news program covered the marble penis of David by Michelangelo, one of Italy’s most famous artists, with a mosaic. The mosaic had been removed by the time the program was rerun the following day but not before the cover-up had caused some anger online. “The statue…

Church and Sports vs Art – Which is higher risk?

Bill Henson is in the news again, this time for his controversial thoughts on the risks associated with Arts, Sports and the Church. In a recent interview with the Australian, Henson stated that when searching for high risk areas to children that “The last place you would start with would be the arts.” and that…

Nude Model Zoe West Arrested during a public body painting exhibition by Andy Golub

Nude model sues over false arrest

Andy Golub Paints Nudes… literally. He applies paint to nude bodies, usually live – making the public a part of his work. Last year he utilized Times square for public body painting and came under fire for his sense of completeness. you see, to Golub nothing but complete nudity will do. his mission, like mine,…

What is it about a nude that’s offensive?

At my local shopping center there is a massage place. The poster in the window has a nude woman’s back and the prices extending down her spine. It’s a cute concept until you get to the lower region. This woman has buttocks, but no dividing line. You can see where the heal tool was used,…

Too rude? Speech part 3: nude models and artistic merit.

Part one and part two have already been published. This is the third and final part of my 10 minute speech for Sydney University’s Tuesday Talks program. Frequent readers may recognize some passages here, I couldn’t improve on them! When I initially wrote about the Bill Henson scandal a number of people told me that…

Too rude? Speech part two – adolescent nudity in art

Part one is here.. These days the nude appears to have become more controversial as the line between nudity and sexuality has been blurred. The prevalence of porn and sexualized images In the media have led to an automatic association between nudity and sex. A belief that nudity is dirty, wrong, and disgraceful. All of…

Child pornography and art are different things, Hetty

One of the exonerated Nude Teen Pictures from 2008 by Bill Henson. Picture by the Daily Telegraph Bravehearts executive director Hetty Johnston has written to the Baillieu Government asking it to crack down on images such as those created by controversial artist Bill Henson. But artists say they should not be censored and current guidelines…

You can’t force artists to classify their art

There is talk in Australia, once again, of limiting artists rights. I am likely to offend people with these statements and I don’t care. Ratings classifications don’t belong in the arts. Frankly they barely belong in movies. Most people fail to notice them with regards to tv and movies and still they complain. Bill Henson…