Opinion
The End of Men: "Self-Censorship" on Facebook Edition
A new study analyzing 3.9 million English-speaking Facebook users has concluded that 71% of status updates are "self-censored" — that is, modified prior to posting.
Censorship
News
Sheriff Orders Removal of Sculptures Deemed "Possible Weapons"
Found-object sculptures that were on view in a government building in Morristown, New Jersey, have been removed, after the local sheriff decided that they were "possible weapons to be used against the public."
Art
Facebook Is for Moms
CHICAGO — There is a set of culturally acceptable ways for mothers to be and behave in the world. Mothers aren't allowed to have their own lives or be sexual; in essence, they're not allowed to be human beings. When an artist who's also a mother crosses these lines, people often react in ways that a
Interview
The New Digital Puritans: Social Network Censorship #NSFW
Reuben Negron, an artist who lives and works in Connecticut and New York, is best known for his realistic watercolor depictions of intimate moments, ranging from the raw to the vulnerable. His scenes often give me the impression of looking in a mirror. Negron's series This House of Glass, “an intima
Opinion
The Man Who Led 1990s Art Censorship Scandal Is Running for NYC Mayor
The name Joseph J. Lhota may not be a household one (yet), but the current Republican mayoral candidate has done a lot in his time in New York City politics. Art worlders may remember him as the man who led the Giuliani administration's push to bully the Brooklyn Museum into censoring an artwork fro
News
Did Chicago Public Schools Ban a Classic Graphic Novel?
In a strange and troubling move that looks suspiciously like censorship, Chicago Public Schools have removed Persepolis, a classic graphic novel that tells the story of author Marjane Satrapi's coming-of-age in Iran, from all seventh-grade classrooms.
Opinion
Michelangelo's David Is Too Hot for Japan
Okuizumo, Japan, stands paralyzed by an icon of Western art. A 16-foot-high replica of Michelangelo's triumphant David sculpture was installed in the middle of a public park in the southern Japanese town, but locals think it might be a little bit too public.
Art
We Got Facebook Censored
I suppose it was only a matter of time, but yesterday, it finally happened: Hyperallergic was Facebook censored.
News
College Faces Backlash Against Homoerotic Art
Facing criticism and threats from hardline Islamists, the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, has shut down an academic journal that published a series of homosexually suggestive paintings. The college pulled the issues from bookstores and dissolved the journal's editorial board, but that
Opinion
When Art as a Subversive Act Is too Subversive
LONDON — Cultural relativism is a problematic thing. If you don't agree, ask Caveh Zahedi, whose new film, The Sheikh and I, is set to premiere at Brooklyn’s Factory 25 on December 7 after having been banned on the grounds of blasphemy by the biennial that commissioned it.
News
Moscow Court Censors Pussy Riot Videos, Calling Them "Extremist"
A Moscow court has ruled that four videos by punk-art-protest band Pussy Riot are "extremist," and websites hosting the videos must remove them or pay fines.
Books
I Read Banned Books …
Even though Hyperallergic is primarily a blog about art and visual culture, there's no question that we're also super nerds who read a lot. So I felt it would be remiss if we didn't pay at least a short tribute to Banned Books Week, an annual celebration of books and literacy and the freedom for eve