[Story Index] [Discussion Thread] [The Asylum]
Art and Crap
By Postmodgirl
2000-12-09
This has been in my mind lately: What purpose does art serve? Is it purely for decoration? Does it really help you come to some kind of understanding of life? God? Whatever? Do people who don’t have the art-oriented education that I have care about art?
You may have seen this piece. This is "The Holy Virgin Mary" by Chris Ofili. There was a big stink about this piece and the show it was in, called "SENSATION: The Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection" shown at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Olfili’s painting contained elephant dung used as textural elements. New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani threatened to either cut off $7 million in financing to the museum or terminate the museum’s lease with the city (He succeeded in neither.), because he felt this piece was highly offensive to the Catholic community (He was also running for election at that time, so there is argument to whether his actions were politically motivated.).
Many people were offended by this piece. My father said that Ofili was anti-Christian and was being deliberately insulting. Fun thing is though, is that Ofili is Catholic. He was born in England, but his parents are from Africa (sorry can’t remember from where). He spend at least a year there getting in touch with his ancestral roots, and in the area he spent time in, elephant dung was used as building supplies, fuel for fire, and other basic needs. He used elephant poop in the painting because he was representing (or was trying to represent) the Virgin and connection to his ancestral lands, or at least that’s what I understand. Point is, he wasn’t going for shock value.
Chris Ofili stated in a New York Times interview that, "It all seems very distant and confusing to me. It's like a play, and somehow I got mentioned in the script. I think there’s some bigger agenda here." When asked to explain his "Holy Virgin Mary," he went on to say, "I don't feel as though I have to defend it. The people who are attacking this painting are attacking their own interpretation, not mine. You never know what’s going to offend people, and I don't feel it’s my place to say any more."
Personally I love this response! But it brings up a question for me. Does art serve its purpose when it has to be explained?
I personally don’t think art should need an explanation. You should be able to walk into any place that has art and not have to read a booklet to understand it.
What’s the point of making something that people just don’t get?