Comments on: Henson: time for the police to put up or back off http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/ now with extra source Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:38:17 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Keith http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3177 Keith Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3177 While we are having a great old ding-dong about art and porn - I though this had finished by 1970 but the rise of politicians that have to scrape the dregs of the religious political bucket has woken up the dinosaurs - sight seems to have been lost of the fact that the legal and perhaps moral idiocy resides in the bonce of the marketing genius who decided to use THAT image to advertise the show. Certainly there is an argument that this is the blatant use of the image of a child for commercial purposes and hence intended to appeal to those who would be particularly attracted to such an image. Now that is what I would call pornographic. While we are having a great old ding-dong about art and porn - I though this had finished by 1970 but the rise of politicians that have to scrape the dregs of the religious political bucket has woken up the dinosaurs - sight seems to have been lost of the fact that the legal and perhaps moral idiocy resides in the bonce of the marketing genius who decided to use THAT image to advertise the show. Certainly there is an argument that this is the blatant use of the image of a child for commercial purposes and hence intended to appeal to those who would be particularly attracted to such an image. Now that is what I would call pornographic.

]]> By: John http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3178 John Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3178 The police are holding off announcing there will be no charges laid until this all dies down. They rushed in for PR purposes and now they realize they stuffed-up. They would look like gooses if they returned the artworks now under such media attention. Henson's legal team, if he has one, should be calling for the immediate return of the works. The police are holding off announcing there will be no charges laid until this all dies down. They rushed in for PR purposes and now they realize they stuffed-up. They would look like gooses if they returned the artworks now under such media attention. Henson’s legal team, if he has one, should be calling for the immediate return of the works.

]]> By: Noel Turnbull http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3179 Noel Turnbull Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3179 Most of the comments on Henson have focussed on what Henson was trying to do with his art. Perhaps we should be focussing on what is going on in the minds of those who are trying to censor him? Henson's images are uncomfortable and sometimes creepy. But what is it that the critics and censors are seeing through the lens of their perception of the world? In my late parents' day the sort of view they seem to have of Henson's work was summed up with the words -" they must have dirty minds". Most of the comments on Henson have focussed on what Henson was trying to do with his art. Perhaps we should be focussing on what is going on in the minds of those who are trying to censor him? Henson’s images are uncomfortable and sometimes creepy. But what is it that the critics and censors are seeing through the lens of their perception of the world? In my late parents’ day the sort of view they seem to have of Henson’s work was summed up with the words -” they must have dirty minds”.

]]> By: Venise Alstergren http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3180 Venise Alstergren Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3180 Re: Thylacine> Well at least he has the wit to know he/she is a member of an extinct species. The true, blue (nosed) people are the ones who say "How would you like it if your teen aged/ pre-pubescent child, etc, etc." The thought of the walloping brigade being told to judge Bill Henson's work is truly obscene. These people have literacy skills on a par with having to move their lips to read. Their love of art can be seen by their (hidden these days) calenders of naked ladies of the variety seen in any car-mechanic's building. That these people should judge art takes us back to the days of Sir Arthur Rylah, rhymes with galah, who destroyed anything that might offend his, as it turned out, fictitious teen-aged daughter.<br />I would love to know the answer to one question. Namely: where was the wowser army when the advertising industry started sexualizing children? Oh come on you guardians of public morality. Were there no uneasy moments when the age of models got down to fifteen year old models, fourteen, thirteen, twelve. No feelings of outrage then? Headlines: Aussie teen-aged model takes Manhattan by storm. Sarah Blogs a just turned fifteen year old Adelaide school girl, etc, etc,<br />Hetty Johnson and her rotten followers have thrown Bill Henson to the wolves. Why have they thrown a famous artist to the wolves? For reflecting on our culture. Go back to your foetid rat holes and the footy that is all you understand. Re: Thylacine> Well at least he has the wit to know he/she is a member of an extinct species. The true, blue (nosed) people are the ones who say “How would you like it if your teen aged/ pre-pubescent child, etc, etc.” The thought of the walloping brigade being told to judge Bill Henson’s work is truly obscene. These people have literacy skills on a par with having to move their lips to read. Their love of art can be seen by their (hidden these days) calenders of naked ladies of the variety seen in any car-mechanic’s building. That these people should judge art takes us back to the days of Sir Arthur Rylah, rhymes with galah, who destroyed anything that might offend his, as it turned out, fictitious teen-aged daughter.
I would love to know the answer to one question. Namely: where was the wowser army when the advertising industry started sexualizing children? Oh come on you guardians of public morality. Were there no uneasy moments when the age of models got down to fifteen year old models, fourteen, thirteen, twelve. No feelings of outrage then? Headlines: Aussie teen-aged model takes Manhattan by storm. Sarah Blogs a just turned fifteen year old Adelaide school girl, etc, etc,
Hetty Johnson and her rotten followers have thrown Bill Henson to the wolves. Why have they thrown a famous artist to the wolves? For reflecting on our culture. Go back to your foetid rat holes and the footy that is all you understand.

]]> By: Jackson Harding http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3181 Jackson Harding Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3181 One can only hope the wallopers will be just as vigilant in protecting the public morals and arrest the head of a worldwide society of paedophiles, one Joseph Ratzinger, when he arrives in Australia next month One can only hope the wallopers will be just as vigilant in protecting the public morals and arrest the head of a worldwide society of paedophiles, one Joseph Ratzinger, when he arrives in Australia next month

]]> By: David M http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3182 David M Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3182 Greg...for god's sake "attack on poor unsuspecting art curators and gallery directors"? These guys are pros....they know the law. Dose of stir will fix any problems with errors of judgment. Greg…for god’s sake “attack on poor unsuspecting art curators and gallery directors”?
These guys are pros….they know the law.
Dose of stir will fix any problems with errors of judgment.

]]> By: Thylacine http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3183 Thylacine Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3183 When the experts of the art world joined to support Bill Henson's work, none thus far has offered us, the great unwashed, the benefit of their expertise on possible interpretations of this ‘significant art work’. The best they could offer is he has being doing this stuff for years so why should anyone take offence now? If it is all in the mind of the viewer I don't suppose any of the signatories to the letter in support of Mr. Henson would object to any of their pre-pubescent offspring posing for Mr. Henson for us to view and interpret. When the experts of the art world joined to support Bill Henson’s work, none thus far has offered us, the great unwashed, the benefit of their expertise on possible interpretations of this ‘significant art work’. The best they could offer is he has being doing this stuff for years so why should anyone take offence now? If it is all in the mind of the viewer I don’t suppose any of the signatories to the letter in support of Mr. Henson would object to any of their pre-pubescent offspring posing for Mr. Henson for us to view and interpret.

]]> By: Antique http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/05/28/henson-time-for-the-police-to-put-up-or-back-off/#comment-3184 Antique Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-3184 Nudity is a natural state, and doesn't bother me . We arn't born wearing clothes. What does bother me is little girls made up to look like sexy adults- boots, sequins and mini skirts , singing songs whose meaning they probably don't even understand. That's pornography! Art galleries the world over are full of nudes. Are we horrified? of course not. Antique Nudity is a natural state, and doesn’t bother me . We arn’t born wearing clothes. What does bother me is little girls made up to look like sexy adults- boots, sequins and mini skirts , singing songs whose meaning they probably don’t even understand. That’s pornography!

Art galleries the world over are full of nudes. Are we horrified? of course not.

Antique

]]>