Controversial Art

Art has always been a means through which ideas, concepts and opinions could be expressed, testing limitations in thought - naturally, a dichotomy can exist between the public and artists if their opinions differ. However, with increasing exposure to many different sources in the contemporary age, audiences are becoming desensitized to once-offensive imagery, so artists are perpetually attempting to push boundaries. While controversial art can be an effective vehicle to spark thought in the peoples (which in my opinion is the primary purpose of art), some artists seek only notoriety and exposure rather than creating the most effective possible artwork.

My Bed by brought to the light the schism in the art community that is based on the definition of art itself. , which was created in 1998, was an installation of the artist's unmade bed surrounded by various objects. The object of a bed itself symbolises sleep, sleeplessness, dreams, sex, and death, combining to form a turbulent still life. My Bed is a graphic depiction of depression, mental health, sex, and loneliness that shocked many. The controversy around My Bed centred around the 'vulgar' subject matter. The artwork was denounced as filthy and disgusting, due to the detritus that constitutes the artwork such as empty vodka bottles, underwear soaked with menstrual blood, stained and dirty sheets, and used condoms. These raw, sexually-imbued and frankly unhygienic elements (particularly the showing of bodily fluids) were extremely shocking. In one case, housewife Christine de Ville rushed the bed with a bottle of disinfectant to mop up what she considered to be filth. "Tracey is setting a bad example to young women," De Ville told the Daily Mail newspaper. "It was my duty to clean up the mess." It was seen as self-indulgent; Daily Telegraph art critic Richard Dorment called Emin a ‘phoney’ and ‘self-indulgent (1999). It was also criticised as not even really being art. Critics claimed that anyone could exhibit an unmade bed. Emin countered these criticisms in the same year the artwork was produced by saying: "Well, they didn't, did they?” Later, in 2015, she stated that ‘art isn’t for looking at. Art is for feeling’. I believe that through her artwork, Emin challenged notions of what constitutes as art, encouraging the idea that art is not about technical skill or aesthetics, but instead in expressing and sparking thought. As stated on The Website, "by presenting her bed as art, Tracey Emin shares her most personal space, revealing she’s as insecure and imperfect as the rest of the world”. While initially Emin’s artwork appears to be one-dimensionally steeped in self- indulgent themes of depression and filth, it ultimately promotes positive messages; by publicly revealing her lowest, most flawed state, Emin shows the world that being flawed is nothing to be ashamed of in her confessional piece. In my opinion, the use of everyday detritus should not be considered lazy or disgusting, but instead a subversive and interesting way to construct art and communicate meaning - even Picasso stuck newspaper and chair caning to his artworks. While critics at the time viewed Emin as self-flagellating, I personally interpret the piece as Emin coming to terms with her own depressive state. The use of the bed is significant – to be in bed (asleep or otherwise) is a vulnerable state, and to be in someone else’s bed is an act of trust, exposure, or invasion of privacy. My Bed emerged during a time when the skill of contemporary artists were being questioned – Emin describes in a 2015 video made by Tate Britain the sudden interest of the public and media in British art during the 90s due to the impact of prominent artists such as Emin and . My Bed is an example of an artwork that was extremely controversial but ultimately was a point of progress (or as a 1999 Guardian headline describes: ‘a birth of a phonenemon) in the liberation of modern contemporary art and speaking out about mental health.

On the other end of the spectrum, artworks like Myra by remain. While thought- provoking, emotionally impactful, and skilfully created, Myra is controversial for all the wrong reasons. It caused uproar when displayed at the Royal Academy of Art in 1997. The large painting is a black and white portrait of Myra Hindley's mugshot. Hindley was one half of the Moors murderers – she and Ian Brady horrifically assaulted and murdered several children in the 1960s. Poignantly, Harvey’s portrait of Myra is made up of black, white and grey casts of an infant's hand, symbolising the inexorable mark her crimes. The piece caused such a reaction that it was attacked twice, before having to be restored and then placed behind glass with security officers guarding it. Winnie Johnson (the mother of one of the victims) as well as Myra Hindley herself (writing from prison) called for the artwork to be pulled from the exhibition. Acclaimed British sculptor Michael Sandle resigned from the Royal Academy in protest of Myra’s exhibition, stating that ‘[he] had had enough’. I strongly believe that ethically it is wrong for Harvey to create controversy by using Hindley’s image simply to benefit from media exposure. Harvey has no personal connection to the murders – whilst he benefited from the profit of Myra’s controversy, those personally traumatised by the murders and the exhibition of Myra nearly 40 years after (e.g Winnie Johnson) are denied in their justified requests to pull the piece from exhibition. The large scale of the artwork can be likened to a billboard, drawing comparisons to advertisement, memorials, or monuments. In my opinion, this is glorifying and glamorising Hindley, which can be considered insensitive to the living relatives of the victims. Harvey should have practised self-censorship and not attempted to tackle such a sensitive issue that he had no personal relation to, especially at the cost of other people’s well-being. Just like any other form of media or communication, art cannot be excused for detrimental and offensive content simply because of its form. Harvey has stated in response to critcism that he is "driven by his enduring interest in materials and technique, not shock value"; Harvey's visually impactful and skilled technique could be channelled on a less sensitive issue, to allow the public to appreciate contemporary art rather than automatically reject it due to the content matter, which may contribute to the ongoing resistance against modern art. Art can break open closed-thought processes, but some controversial art remains shocking for shock's sake, which essentially eliminates the shock element all together. In my opinion, any artwork that can cause society to stop, think, and ponder has positive social value, but artists must also be somewhat sensitive in subject matter - especially in Harvey's case in which his artwork was potentially harmful and traumatic to those personally affected by the Moors murders. I strongly feel that controversial images within modern contemporary art are definitely a significant part of society and artists should have freedom to express their opinions, but not feel as if they are above the rest of society and abandon sensitivity. Harvey’s artwork is a complex artwork that does generate thought about the sensationalism of media and the scarring effects of the Moors murders, but ultimately does not add much valuable commentary on the issue and is a source of more harm than value. Hindley is/was already extremely villainized and hated in the public eye – the idea of a woman murdering children was scandalous and seen as unwomanly/rejection of womanly and maternal instincts. Shortly after the Moors murders, she was described in the media as a ‘monster’ and ‘too evil to free’. Before Myra’s exhibition, a scathing comment from the editorial of The Sun stated: "Myra Hindley is to be hung in the Royal Academy. Sadly it is only a painting of her". In contrast to this, Emin’s artwork is really only harmful to her own reputation (as it is autobiographical in nature), so Emin’s choice to create and defend her controversial artwork does not come in expense to anyone else – it is in fact a critique of her own detriment.