Australia’s refugee problem has attracted global attention. This from the New York Times.
Don’t shout Turnbull down for shifting on Henson
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Bill Henson is said to be mortified that he is the centre of another moral outrage. If so, it suggests someone wholly out of touch with reality. To not know that a revelation that he procured models by visiting primary schools suggests a particularly ethereal sensibility. Indeed, the photo of Henson gazing, seemingly smugly, out of weekend newspapers as we learnt how he had cruised playgrounds for talent, seemed calculated to push parental buttons in a big way. This took the debate out of the vexed area of free speech and art and into our schools being used for purposes both commercial and of debatable artistic value. The fact that nobody bothered to check with the parents of the St Kilda Park Primary kids Henson would be assessing for their value as models is the killer. News Ltd’s beat-up that Henson “scoured schools” was wholly unnecessary, and missed the point that the relevant school principal’s judgement was at fault, not the artist’s. Parents will now rightly wonder who else has been permitted to enter school grounds, which are supposed to be a safe, non-commercialised and non-judgemental environment, to appraise the commercial value of their children without their being informed. If artists want models, nude or otherwise, they can stick an ad in the paper, not wander schoolyards with fawning principals in tow. The political reaction has been unanimous. And there are some who’ll find in Malcolm Turnbull’s reaction, altogether more hostile than during the earlier controversy, a basis for criticism. Peter Craven, in an impressively clueless op-ed in The Age that compared Henson to a football coach, laments Turnbull’s change of heart. More surprisingly, Glenn Milne has an unsubtle dig at him today and frets that, despite his backflip on Henson, he might take the Liberals too far to the left. There are two issues with Turnbull’s response. First is that this is a different issue entirely. There’s no contradiction between supporting Henson’s work as genuine artistic endeavour that should not be the subject of police raids on galleries, and objecting to schools facilitating the procurement of models without parental approval. You can hold both views without engaging in some form of puritanical doublethink. The second is that, as Opposition Leader and, in Brendan Nelson’s ceaseless self-referencing, “alternate Prime Minister”, Turnbull is held to a different standard than that which applied when he was shadow Treasurer. As the alternative national leader, Turnbull has to reflect mainstream views in ways his colleagues are not. Hypocrisy? No, it’s both a politically expedient tactic and a requirement of the job. When Mark Latham became Labor leader, he declared an end to the sort of crude attacks he was famous for launching at media and political opponents. In doing so he was reflecting the fact that what was acceptable from a backbencher or shadow Treasurer was inappropriate from someone who aspired to lead the country. No one accused Latham of hypocrisy or inconsistency. It was a wholly appropriate decision for a man who was seeking the Prime Ministership to suppress an element of his own make-up because it didn’t fit with the job. Leadership exacts a personal price in that way, and that is one of the reasons why Turnbull won’t take his party to the left as much as his enemies fear or his fans would hope. |
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33 Comments
What we obviously need here is more principled principals….
News Ltd’s beat-up that Henson “scoured schools” was wholly unnecessary, and missed the point that the relevant school principal’s judgement was at fault, not the artist’s.
Goodness me, Crikey, buying into the moral panic like everyone else?!? To accuse Henson of ‘cruising’ primary schools for models is gutter journalism, and ignorant. As David Dale (and no reference to his book being the source of this latest ‘outrage’) made clear this morning on RN
Principled principals have something of a Nobokovian Sting
Why should tabloid standards of decency become the standard for us all? Tabloids have little regard for genuine decency, as witnessed by their frequent homophobic slurs or their dog whistle racial taunts, and they have absolutely no right to be laying down the law to society as a whole or to particular individuals.
On the few occasions when I read the Daily Telegraph, to use one example, I am invariably dismayed by that paper’s lack of fundamental decency. The ‘decency’ that the Telegraph and other tabloid media espouse is often little more than disguised and divisive bigotry.
Hensen should read Henson.
The first point is true and sufficient. Police raids on art galleries and allowing strangers to wander through schools are two separate issues. Turnbull’s position is not inconsistent.
But if it was, the fact that he has been elevated to the leadership would not be any defence in my book. If someone’s views are mainstream enough to allow them to reach a leadership position, they are mainstream enough to keep them there without pandering to some kind of talkback-driven notion of What Decent Strayans Think.
JamesK: Principled principals are principally, but not primarily, preoccupied with principles. But naîve about unprincipled, pretentious, photographers. purposefully pursing profit; not principle.
Cheers
Venise
Gavrilo Princip’ll tell you the difference between principles and principals.
Sorry.
Maybe we should move the debate over to Faris’s article… d00d has got a celebrity smackdown going on over there. Unless John James is pretending to be David Marr.
Let’s hope politicians will now carry through on their revulsion of ‘using’ children so we no longer having to witness them hugging and kissing babies during election campaigns.
Oh, and how often do we see politicians using public schools and students as backdrops for policy launches and other nefarious political purposes. It’s revolting I tell you, revolting!
We so badly need non-Telegraph news sources as the SMH, and now Crikey, go down the Smellygraph path.
Malcolm: Grow up; I was referring to you-nobody else but you. And I was only basing my comments on what you (yourself!) wrote.
I’m glad you noticed I have an issue on Bill Henson (whose work, incidentally, I don’t like) and his right to present what he considers to be art; indeed any artist should have this right. If the work is no good, it wont sell.
In case you hadn’t noticed Malcolm, the opinions of the moral (?) right, (name 10 right-wing famous artists, architects, designers, people who have created earth -shattering beauty) whose idea of art begins and ends with a painted tooth-guard set in a craggy face; a head with a 2 inch brow, set on top of deep sliding shoulders; a muscle-bound body and an IQ of 40. When interviewed on TV he speaks without opening his mouth and he has an accent includes, a sound like a nasal saw, one that only a mother could lurve. You’ve got it Malcolm. Your average footballer. Whose home might run to cheap reproductions of Pro Hart. Go on Malcolm, run away and do the list. I’ll shout you a mars-bar if you can produce it!
“There’s no contradiction between supporting Henson’s work …and objecting to schools facilitating the procurement of models” I think that is a hard postion to sustain and I suspect Bill Henson would defend the latter activity on exactly the same grounds he defends the former. I think Malcolm hits on another valid point. If I were found to have images of naked kids (A Henson work ) on my PC I suspect I’d be in deep you-know-what and similarly if I was cruising a kids playgound with a camera “looking for models” for an art work I would have some explaining to do to alot of people, starting with some angry parents.
Censor stick has been wielded on possibly defamatory (and definitely inflammatory) comments throwing around the word ‘pedophile’.
Here’s Crikey’s policy on comments…
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/crikey-code-of-conduct/
As the person whose job it is to wield the censor stick, I’d especially point out the bottom bit:
“We prefer not to have to edit or delete comments on our website, so please help us uphold the code of conduct so we don’t have to.”
Cheers,
Sarah
Bernard Keane: I have a feeling you don’t know much about Bill Hensen or about the art market. During the last outburst of moral outrage about his work, Hensen was right and will always be right, on one valid point. The goody two shoes ranting of ‘the moral (?) majority’, had no place at all butting into an artists’ work. And Kevin Rudd’s furious outburst of disgust at a television reproduction of a black and white image, was typical of Australian middle-class wankerism. People who have never been to art galleries had no business weighing into a subject they nothing about. Had the naked, thirteen year girl been leering seductively at the camera, or having oral sex it might have been different. But the image was sexless- as far as adult people were concerned.
Where Hensen is having you for breakfast lies in the following. 1) The market for photography is pretty bleak of late. 2)The huge format of photographic imagery today is at last becoming passé. 3) Hensen has always been a genius at self promotion. 4) He has a calculator where most people have a heart. 5. The cost of producing these gigantic images is horrific.
What better way to shore up some interest in something which has almost worn out it’s welcome? (An image, of his which was recently auctioned at Joel Fine Art measuring 85 X 105. Being almost completely black it was a vision of melancholy gloom, but beloved of galleries and auction houses. His latest foray into PR, was quite brilliant. How better to beat up his work, than by letting it be known he was wandering through a schoolyard with a gullible teacher in tow, and selecting prospective models? A perfect play on his previous bit of melodrama. Personally, I feel sorry for the teacher. As to why you are making such a big thing about Malcolm Turnbull’s apparent volte face escapes me. Whether pro-Turnbull, or against-Turnbull, you can’t blame the man for having instinctive good taste.
I find it disturbing that Bernard Keane writing for Crikey has diminished himself to tabloid journalism by stating this in his diatribe today ( News Ltd’s beat-up that Henson “scoured schools” was wholly unnecessary, and missed the point that the relevant school principal’s judgement was at fault, not the artist’s.) Bernard has done exactly what the Shock Jocks did on radio this morning, blame the Principle, don’t worry about evidence or doing some research to get even some semblance of the truth, as Bernard and other irrelevant Shock Jocks like him know, don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story, what I did find interesting while listening to apprentice Shock Jock Tom Elliott (filling in for Neil Mitchell) was when parents of students at the school in question started ringing in defending the principle stating any school that had this principle is blessed, in fact one of the callers was channel 9 Footy Show funny man Trevor Marmalade, after calls from Trevor and other parents offering the principle their support Elliott dropped the subject like a hot potato, Bernard you like Elliott should get some facts before you fun off at the mouth, it’s to easy for lowlifes to hide behind an editorial while acting as Judge, Jury, and Executioner on someones reputation while been to lazy to get off their arse and do some research, Bernard you should work for News LTD you’d fit in nicely beside Bolt and Wankerman.
Whether it was art or whatever alternate label you may wish to use, it was clearly inappropriate. Contrived photographs of naked school children displayed in public reeks of deep seated sexual perversion or in the very least, is an attempt to generate such emotion. Attempts to disguise this whole issue under the banner of ‘art’ is even more deeply disturbing. The Oxford St crowd in Paddington somehow consider themselves superior thinkers when it comes to what is art or what is trashy, attention seeking and inappropriate for the times we live in. Sorry folks, but wake up and get your hands off it.
This is an evil article. I am sure there was no question of the school ‘facilitating the procurement of models without parental approval’. Students would only be photographed with parents’ consent. Keane’s article is the sort of beat up expected in the lowest forms of tabloid journalism from third rate wannabee hacks. Crickey should have enough sense not to reproduce such lies. I personally do not like Henson’s work - too dark for me - but as a parent of two former pupils I can say that the principal and the staff over the past decade or so have pulled this school from the lowest ranks of primary schools to the top rung. Involvement of one of Australias’s eminent artists in the life of the school is but one small example. We should be celebrating people like Henson and Sue Knight. The transformation of the school is the sort of achievement quality newspapers should be reporting rather than wallowing in contrived indignation about sex and politics.
What a lot of nonsense! Many recruiting officers ‘cruise’ schools for talent - film studios, the Australian boys choir etc. There is no issue of consent as the request was passed directly to the parents. The only issue is the judgement of the principal. Was he appropriate in allowing Henson to seek potential models? If he’d asked a playboy journalist that would be bad judgement. If he believed Henson as a world recognized Australian artist to be a man of acceptable integrity and status then why not? The experience of working with a leading artist could be enormously significant for a young person. As for suggesting that a potential prime minister should adjust his ‘values’ to fit his office that is admitting that our leaders are expected to be duplicitous and superficial. I want a leader who has opinions that I respect. I don’t want a leader whose opinions change according to public expectations.
For a moment there I thought we had in Turnbull a new leader of integrity and character instead of another populist who simply adjusts his opinions to extract the most votes whether it is to exploit the latent racism in many Australians (previous PM) or to seize on the moral outrage that has been kindled by the sloppy journalism this story displays.
Look - at the end of the day this controversy could have been easily avoided had the Principal followed protocol procedures. I have no doubt Sue Knight is a brilliant Principal but - everyone - has to comply with the protocols whether one likes it or not. I am sorry Bill Hensen is once again caught up in another controversy but as I said - it could easily have been avoided.
“Mortified”. Really? I can’t help but feel just a little bit sus.
An internationally renown artist, his art is suddenly up for another round of public abuse, this time including the efforts of Crikey.
I thought the bad of days of Howard the horrible were over.
Lets start a war on art appreciation.
I agree …..if I hear ‘adorable’ one more time I’ll puke……
Shouldn’t there be anti-twee laws?
If taking photos of naked children is evidence of pedophilia, perhaps Anne Geddes can share Hensen’s prison cell.
And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Venise: Nice try but no cigar ! Do you accuse everyone who has a different opinion than your own of being a pervert ? If that was the case, then the majority of decent citizens would be supporting Henson, the art world and more significantly, issue ridden people like yourself. Good luck and good article Bernard.
So let us get this straight.
If you are looking for talent for a movie, Broadway musical or a Muesli commercial then it is ok, but if it is for an art project then it is not?
Lets focus on kids participation in general in for all commercial projects rather then just focus on the one for art that you do not happen to like!
Kids are exploited every day so if we want to change this then the debate is not about Bill Henson and his images.
Excellent review by Bernard Keane of this latest controversy disingenuously induced by the ever reliably silly David Marr:
“Henson was having trouble finding the models he needed for the Sydney exhibition due to open in May. Friends introduced him to the principal of a Melbourne primary school. This wasn’t, by any means, the first time he had been invited into schools in his search for models.
“I went in there, had a look around at lunchtime, just wandered around while everyone was having their lunch. I saw this boy, and I saw a girl too, actually, and I thought they would be great and the principal said, ‘Fine, I will give the parents a ring and let you know.’ “
Whilst Sue Cato, Henson’s publicist, said: “He did not wander around the school, he was supervised the whole time and followed strict protocols.”
David Marr, Peter Craven and St Kilda Park Primary now ex-principal demonstrate a staggering lack of insight.
That’s not a bad idea Daniel.
It is not about being a pedophile or a pornographer, it is about common respect. If I wanted to trawl through a school looking for kids to photograph in the nude I would be charged for my efforts with attempting to solicit a child.
Will all those claiming it is about anything but that please take a cold shower.
Sarah Stokely: As your plea on the censorship front is directly under my last comment-wherein I offered a gentle play on the words principle and principal-I would hasten to add I have never called anyone a pedaëophile as I can’t even spell the word.
Cheers
Venise
News Corp dupes.
You mean David Marr?
Unless he was talking about the 100 Best and Worst Australian artists.