POP LIFE - Does Art offend you, yeh?

Delving past Pop Art’s exuberant surface into the artist’s private lives, Tate Modern’s latest show certainly has the XXX  factor, but have attitudes changed since the early 90’s or are we in fact more squeamish than ever before when it come to art meeting life? 

  “WE’VE HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT A NAKED MAN AT YOUR STUDIO WINDOW, sorry Nicky you’re going to have to take Brian down for a bit.” This phone call from the owners of my studio on Oxford Street was well funny, yet troubling. They were actually on my side and found it just as amusing, but the fact that I have to hide Brian away just to humour some Crappucino-supping morons brought a lot of issues to the surface. For a start Brian is NOT naked-he hasn’t even got any lower body cos he ran himself over, but most importantly HES 9FT HIGH PHOTOGRAPHIC CUT-OUT AND NOT REAL!!! It really showed the power of such imagery and society’s allergic reaction to anything  big, bold and camp. It seems that even within the brash flashing miasma of Oxford Street, conservatism still reigns.

   Most of all it’s an issue of taste, or distaste-maybe the complainants didn’t like Brian Harvey and his e-taking, excessive Jacket Potato eating ways. A couple of weeks ago I visited the ‘Pop Life’ show at the Tate Modern which emphasised the enduring borders of censorship. It was assuring to know that I’m not alone in facing the society’s taboos. Like squeezing a spot, bringing impurities to the surface leads to insecurity because you have to face what lurks inside yourself and pus isn’t usually very pleasant.

   The most obviously controversial was Jeff Koon’s room, concealed behind stern wooden doors emblazoned with explicit content warnings and with a security guard holding the fort against children entering. Inside the images of Jeff fucking his porn star wife Cicciolina certainly had the explicit factor, but they didn’t cause embarrassment because of their placement as Art-all was explained and excused; it was in fact was more embarrassing seeing my dad flicking through the catalogue in his front room! With Pop Art, context is all-Jeff’s huge ‘Made in Heaven’ billboard poster even though not as explicit, would have caused people to splutter their pretzels onto the New York sidewalk in 1989. This visual ambush tactic is a bit like being run over by an ice cream van. At first you may shit your pants, but then feel silly for doing so. It is when your inhibitions are lowered anything can startle, even if it is a 9 foot high chav!

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Article by supersupertv