Displaying Sexual Artwork - Essay Example

Displaying Sexual Artwork al Affiliation) “How Far Is Too Far”- Displaying Sexual Artwork The obscenity that accompaniesvarious materials is subject to discussion when determining the boundaries of application of sexual content. Phoebe Hoban argues that artists have contents that depict graphic acts that are sexual in nature (Hoban, 2015), while inflicting injuries to their own bodies, damaging property, and paying other people to alter their own bodies. There should be a level that art crosses before it is considered unacceptable from the advent grade. That is the basis of the author’s argument on how to identify the limits to which visual artwork can incorporate sexuality. Ztohoven is a radical stylist who inserted an image of a mushroom cloud into a weather report on an ordinary morning. This act resulted into multiple condemnations, similar to those faced by Orson Welles in the H.G Well’s alien invasion radio play of 1938. Ztohoven’s video caused little panic though; neither did it find its classification as a classic despite making way to You tube. In addition to that, Ztohoven received an award from the National Gallery in Prague for the prank. Despite these accolades, the group was tried before a Czech court for claims of propagation of false information and scaremongering (LaFollette, 2013). By looking at the meteorological manipulation by this group, the author’s question of the responsibility that an artwork commands arises. Certain works are designed to be provocative, thus it is necessary to determine the point at which shock overweighs the intended purpose of an artwork. In addition to that, the relevance of the responsibility should consider the global environment that is full of hip-hop songs (Charry, 2012), movies and repulsive reality shows all which depict the nature of the current world. Chris Byrden, in the year 1970, publicly shot himself in the arm while Vito Acconci openly masturbated under a gallery floor. All this happened as his audience walked above him. The growth of installation and performance of the video art have pushed the levels of sexual content to a rather transgressive territory. This is even more surprising as all through the transformation, the human body has acted as the medium for expressing the changes in the artwork displayed to the public. Furthermore, the author highlights an incident in which Andrea Fraser tapes herself receiving $20,000 for the exchange of sex (Ley, 2012). As if not enough, Karen Finley strips naked before coating herself with chocolate while Santiago Sierra tattoos prostitutes. The question whether the artists are aware of the amount of exploitation that their arts expose is critical in determining the role of the artists in developing the society. Traditionally, the artists had conventional role to challenge the status quo, but having misinterpreted this role, they have exceeded the point at which the society ethically regards as too far. It is necessary, therefore, that guidelines be set which govern the operation of the ethics of the art. Critic Arthur Danto argues that the morality of an artwork is limited, despite the excuse that this medium expresses the inner feelings of the artist. He argues that in any performance, doing certain things that instigate damage to property indicates an illegality, stating that the modern movies are filled with actions concerning murder. Despite the works being mere artwork, the mentality that the actor is a murderer remains supreme, as morality should not be overlooked in the process of proving esthetics. Tom Eccles, who is a Public Art Fund former director, further voices his concern about the knowledge of the boundaries of ethics. He adds that some global influential artists have used this art platform to trump the essence of morality in their work. For instance, he criticizes the use of cadaver photographs by Andres Serrano, stating it is immoral to use the body parts of dead people without their permission. Similarly, the art of intimacy has boundaries that determine the impact that sexual artwork creates in the society. In the romantic world, it is natural to develop sexual attractions to the complementary gender (Driel & Vincent, 2012. The impact of the artist works has inflicted a hardship upon many people to develop intimate relationships while maintaining chastity. Physical intimacy is a component of romantic relationship, but the boundaries are pushed too far when lust replaces affection. Every act in the romantic relationships sends messages. The explicit artistry exposed in the world today has painted women in a different picture. They are seen in rap song videos flaunting their bodies in half-dressed circumstances. This artistry has enhanced the growth of lust amongst many men, and the romantic relationships often are guided by the desire to have sexual gratification. In basic romantic relationships, the affection is more important in communicating love. This notion is overtaken by lust, as the desire for sexual satisfaction is stronger than the need for romantic relationships (Curran & Fullam, 2011). In the author’s opinion, certain artists perform artworks by causing themselves physical harm or paying others to inflict harm on their bodies. This trend is further amplified by the lack of knowledge amongst the couples on when to get physical. The artist influences many people in the audience, as Abramovic explains. The artist is determined to be the right example and an icon amongst her audience. This explains why she decided to permit things that involve no danger and those that she could probably be responsible for doing. According to Hoban, the artist is not the only bearer of the responsibilities that accrues to the actions of their performance. This limits the ability of the artist to perform bodily harm. The artists however argue that the major reason behind causing bodily harm is the need to eliminate fear and elevate the spirit of feeling the intensity of the action. The body is just a tool according to the artists, and using the body as an instrument is an indication that there is need for instilling emotional attachment amongst the audience. Despite the artists’ extreme works, they often rethink their actions and most of the times end up regretting the role they play in the transformation of the visual artwork. This drift is becoming extremely common amongst the new young Hollywood stars (Rojek, 2011), as they expose the new levels of low concern on ethics. They are suddenly oversexed and showing over determinacy to expose their bodies by proudly parading naked. In the artistry world, they argue that these acts are necessary because of the artist’s personal need to appear naked. Besides, they do it for survival. By exceeding the moral limit, the artists have gone too far in expressing their artworks. Sexual artistry is necessary for the secular world today. By appearing to be a dirty girl, the audience views the artists as the new transformer of the ever-evolving pop culture. These artists are competing to attract more male followers by shifting the bars to lower questionable unethical levels. It is due to this evolution that the soft pornography erupted. This debate therefore lingers between the generations, as children and parents vary in opinions concerning the direction in which the industry is steering the society. In Lillegard’s view, this has led to the increase in masturbation addictions as most young men are lured into looking for women who match the celebrity standards they admire and adore. This is the reason behind the current tendency by women to copy the celebrity fashion, in a bid to attract the attention of the young men who admire the celebrities. Furthermore, the society is fast embracing the celebrity brainwash, by overlooking the ethical concerns that associate with the mode of dressing, the level of nudity in videos, and the amount of erotic scenes casted in films (Lillegard, 2009). The author sets to disapprove the need for sexual content in the artworks. Contrary to her beliefs, there should be a limit to the amount of sexual content in the artworks. By being extremely ignorant on the existent of sex in the society, the author evades the reality. The sexual content is an ethical practice, but the amount that the art world exposes overrules the freedom to express the ideas of an artist (Sanchez, 2010). The evolution of soft porn prompted the development of pornographic content. This is the most unethical practice that the art world has embraced, with the videos getting more viral with the advancements of communication technology. Having regular access to semi nude visual contents makes the audience yearn for more than just the content they have. This explains the reason behind the growth of the pornographic industry, with the addiction to such videos dominating the lives of many young people. The generation change inserts more pressure on the current youth to desist from such videos, as the growth of the pornographic industry will definitely translate into public viewing galleries. As depicted by the author, the society is inclined towards the notion that the women’s value lies in their sexuality. Furthermore, this sexuality is commodity and object based, as revealed when an artist released a video having sex for payment. It is necessary to teach the society on the negative implications of the use of sex to attain success. This development creates more social alienation, further increasing the prevalence of pornographic and masturbation addictions. Contrary to the author’s beliefs, Lillegard states that the society is largely to blame for embracing the sexuality in the artworks of several artists. The personal need by an artist to appear nude in visual contents should not sway the societal norm concerning ethics. Instead, the society should have shunned the perpetrators of the trend, giving no audience or attention to whatever the artist portrays until the artists conform to the socially accepted behavioral norms. In the process of highlighting the importance of sexuality in the education sector, the topic of sexuality should be introduced in schools curriculums. This topic should be taught completely, sequentially and appropriately. The cultural belief that the teaching about sex at an early age makes young people have sex earlier than required is an irrational fear. The sex education program should begin from the kindergarten level, teaching them how to name their body parts, and how to separate good from bad. Fourth and fifth graders should be informed about internet safety, puberty and their changing bodies. As they proceed to the seventh to ninth grades, they should be trained about communication, healthy relationships and H.I.V. In conclusion, the topic of how far is too far is very radical in the correction of the society rot that the artworks have built. This study is indispensable for the transformation of the art schools, and acts as a wakeup call to the upcoming artists to transform their styles in order to embrace an ethical makeover (Athanassoulis, 2012). Besides, it encourages crucial legislation to set out the levels of sexual content that are acceptable in the society, with punishments for any person who exceeds these levels. References Athanassoulis, N. 2012. Virtue ethics. New York: Continuum. Charry, E. 2012. Hip hop Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Curran, C., & Fullam, L. 2011. Virtue. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press. Driel, M., & Vincent, P. 2012. With the hand. London: Reaktion Books. Hoban, P. 2015. How Far Is Too Far? | ARTnews. Artnews.com. Retrieved 14 April 2015, from http://www.artnews.com/2008/07/01/how-far-is-too-far/ LaFollette, H. 2013. The international encyclopedia of ethics. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. Ley, D. 2012. The myth of sex addiction. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lillegard, N. (2009). The Moral Domain. Oxford Univesity Press. Rojek, C. 2011. Pop music, pop culture. Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press. Sanchez, A. 2010. The effects of SSRIs on sexual function in college students. 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