This "art project" is just beyond anything my brain can comprehend:
Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.
That's art?
The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body.
...
But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for “shock value.”“I hope it inspires some sort of discourse,” Shvarts said. “Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it’s not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone.”
What could you possibly think your art project is going to inspire me to talk about, besides the fact that you horrify me as a human being? Do you think people will go to the exhibit and say, "Huh, I had no idea there was so much blood during an abortion. Thanks to this display, I feel educated on the subject." You're unbelievably stupid if you don't think the only thing people will feel is shock and revulsion.
Look, even people who think that there might be some times when the morning-after pill or an abortion is the right choice for a woman, that time is certainly not whenever you feel like pumping yourself full of sperm and videotaping your miscarriage for a passing grade in art class.
And because these days I have a hard time seeing anything without my own lens of reproductive woes, this just appalls me on levels I can't even describe.
What in the hell is wrong with "artists" these days? Doesn't anyone just paint anymore?
UPDATE:
Here's another completely awful "art" exhibit. This time, a dog is chained up Tantalus-style, just out of reach of food. And left to starve to death. It's art!
Posted by Sarah at April 17, 2008 09:09 AM | TrackBackWow...that is just on a whole 'nother plain of thought...weird. I also had the same sentiment a last week when I read about the art exhibit in Vienna portraying religious scenes in really sexual ways. This was a money quote: “I don't see any blasphemy here," Boehler said, speaking of the crucifixion scene where a Roman soldier beats Christ and holds his genitals. "People can imagine what they want to."
And this:
The exhibit’s most disputed work, “Leonardo's Last Supper, restored by Pier Paolo Pasolini,” displayed the apostles sexually abusing each other. Hrdlicka said he presented the apostles in that manner because there are no women in the Leonardo da Vinci painting which inspired it.
I am not religious...but I understand the definition of blasphemy...and if that isn't blasphemy, I don't know what is...
People who do things for shock value, and then try to pretend afterwards that it isn't that shocking are just off their rockers...
Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at April 17, 2008 09:25 AMAs an Artist (and a human being) this offends me in so many ways that I'm almost speechless. WTF?
Posted by: Mare at April 17, 2008 09:45 AMSee Art, Discomfort, and Dehumanization, featuring thoughts by novelist Mark Helprin.
Posted by: david foster at April 17, 2008 11:57 AMI actually threw up.
Posted by: Green at April 17, 2008 02:25 PMAnd here's another one over at Pam's Place....(link provided)
Put me over the edge.....what is WRONG with people today?!?!?
Posted by: Tammi at April 17, 2008 03:44 PMSick, sick, sick.
Posted by: Nicole at April 17, 2008 06:21 PMWhat this clearly says to me is that she is most definately not an artist. She WANTS to be an artist but lacks the talent and vision to be one so she is doing the most ridiculous thing she can think of to attract attention to herself. She's an attention whore and that's about it.
Posted by: sharona at April 17, 2008 07:11 PMI can't even comment on the dog story. That truly is the most horrific animal abuse story I've ever heard. (And I hope I never hear anything worse.)
But the miscarriage story? That just pisses me off. Stories like that always lead me back to the question, Who the hell is in charge of handing out the fertility cards?
Posted by: Erin at April 17, 2008 10:06 PM