Once the leper of the art world, Mapplethorpe propelled sexuality and homo-erotic images into the public forum through his photography. Beginning his body of work with simple subjects such as flowers, he was able to personify them much like Andre Kertez, the Hungarian born photographer did in his work. As he matured, his personal life emerged through his work as it does with many artists.
The Montclair Museum is willing to curate a show with a high profile name surrounded by controversy, yet they are unwilling to use the images that catapulted him into notoriety. The text about the exhibit contradicts the exhibit.
The website explains "Best known for his portraiture, depictions of contemporary gay life, and documentation of sexual subcultures, he was a key member of the New York avant-garde of the 1970s and 80s, counting among his closest artistic colleagues the musician, artist, and poet Patti Smith, as well as Andy Warhol. His renown continued to increase after his untimely death from AIDS-related causes, and today he remains a figure of both celebrity and controversy." yet no images relating to this description are included.
I applaud the publicity stunt, but censoring art in this era is a insulting to the art world in general. Its been 21 years since the Dennis Barrie, the Director of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati was arrested for a Mapplethorpe exhibit titled The Perfect Moment. This showdown started one prong of the culture wars and set the precedent for what was acceptable and charges of "pandering obscenity" against Barrie were dismissed.
The Museum is subliminally telling the audience that while they are willing to use his powerful name to draw visitors, they are not willing to use his controversial images that made him an important figure in the art world. He dismantled barriers that once confined artists with the bondage of irrational conformity and public approval.
The obvious contradiction between text and images creates a paradox within the exhibit and makes one wonder who their intended audience really is and what their motivation for a censored exhibit is. This is a classic example of how "the inclusion of exclusion" is still unfolding in our daily life and permeates art long after we thought it had stopped.
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| Mapplethorpe: "Anjitto, 1981 Photo Credit: Mapplethorpe Foundation |
