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Underground > Art, Fashion & Design >

A Knock At The Door

13:20 / 06.10.05

Mock postage stamps depicting George W. with a gun to his head. Funny, right? I'd laugh, anyway.

It got the artist probed by the Secret Service.

A straitjacket made from the American flag, a sculpture of a suitcase bomb - or is it just a sculpture? (Apparently one of his other projects exploded.) Artists are being detained, questioned and investigated.

Maybe this should go in Switchboard or something, but since it's an art issue I decided to present it here - largely because I wonder if anyone has seen this exhibit, and because I figure some of you might want to.

It might also be a jumping-off point for discussion about art, first amendment rights, and government oppression. Frankly, I'm troubled...

Here are display locations and dates:
Artists' Network of Refuse & Resist"

And some media reactions:
NY Daily News

Fox News

00:24 / 07.10.05

i had heard about this, and checked out some of the work, I felt a lot of it was rather played out and reactionary, and that if the government hadn't stepped in it probably wouldn't have gotten that much press.
But it is still troubling.
The Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati had a similar incident recently. One of the artists showing had made passports to a non-existent country and Homeland security siezed them went they went through customs. the best part is that he displayed the notice he found in his suitcase instead of the passports.
And then of course there's Mr. Kurtz who is still screwed from all of his legal battles.

Our administration is trying to strike fear into the artistic community, a 'screw with us even a little and we'll make you pay'kind of mentality (McArthur would be so proud).
It's my understanding that the SS wasn't too over the top with this exhibition however. I suppose realistically if an artist says he has a replica of a suitcase bomb the government would be wise check it out.

I think these acts go beyond censorship. It's very sinister. If you want to control a people you have to destroy or discredit the intelectuals and artists first.

09:42 / 07.10.05

I just remembered a performance artist back in the 80's who was a "human bomb"- he'd strap explosives and fireworks to a plastic armor breastplate under his clothes, walk into a shop or whatever, detonate the charges, and escape in the resulting chaos.

I don't think that shit would float in these strange days.

19:22 / 07.10.05

I'm quite certain it would get you several years in prison, in fact.

And of course, a flag straightjacket isn't necessarily brilliant, ground-breaking art (though, come to think, it does have the potential to be a great prop in a performance piece)...

It just scares me that artists who use their work to criticize the current administration are being scrutinized this closely. The explosives guy I can maybe understand, but the other artist made stamps. Pieces of paper.

This regime's reaction to criticism scares me more than anything else about it.

00:56 / 08.10.05

This regime's reaction to criticism scares me more than anything else about it.

i'm with you 100% on that

08:38 / 11.10.05

McArthur would be so proud

... um don't you mean McCarthy?

14:29 / 11.10.05

oh..... heh, yes, yes i do

Tryphena Absent

13:07 / 12.10.05

It just scares me that artists who use their work to criticize the current administration are being scrutinized this closely

Don't forget the Guantanamo Bay lawyers... at least the artists aren't being intimidated before they actually exhibit.

*

03:53 / 13.10.05

Well, intimidation or not, I would imagine hearing that my fellow artists are being probed by the secret service would have a mildly dampening effect on my celebration of the artistic muse.