Censorship
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Kanye’s George Condo Album Cover (Probably) Banned

by Kyle Chayka

In case you haven’t heard from the star’s overactive Twitter account, Kanye’s latest album is called My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and the just-released album cover art pretty much matches the title.

Following Kanye’s GOOD Friday single series which also featured the artist, the album cover is painted by none other than 1980s art world wunderkind George Condo. The image depicts a bear-like Kanye reclining on a bright blue couch, a naked human/bird hybrid with a polka-dotted (snow leopard?) tail perches on his leg and shrieks into the foreground, a classic Condo grin on her face. I would tell you this is a fine example of Fauvist coloring, but somehow it seems unnecessary.

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Art Attacker Pleads Not Guilty in Colorado

Avatar photo by Hrag Vartanian

The Montana truck driver accused of destroying a controversial art work that featured the image of Jesus at the Loveland Museum/Gallery in Loveland, Colorado has pleaded not guilty to charges against her Friday morning. According to news reports on 9news.com and the Denver Post website, Kathleen Folden pleaded not guilty to the charge of criminal mischief, a class-four felony. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing and is scheduled for a three-day trial in January. If convicted, she could face two to six years in prison.

According to the Coloradoan, “Folden wore a black T-shirt to court that read ‘Jesus beat the devil with a big wooden stick.’” The Denver Post is also reporting that Enrique Chagoya, the Stanford University professor whose work was destroyed is “reportedly going to create a portrait of Jesus Christ for Loveland’s Resurrection Christian Fellowship as a conciliatory gesture.”

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BREAKING: People Want More Topless Nudes

by Kyle Chayka

We always say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whether it’s destroying a blasphemous print, banning Robert Mapplethorpe from NEA funding, or censoring the David with a fig leaf, art presents some pretty easy flashpoints for scandal. Chief among them: nudity. An obvious lack of clothing rarely fails to be provocative, and such is the case with a certain Pittsfield, Massachusetts woman’s quest to allow women to go out in public, as men do, without shirts on.

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Art Work Attacked in Colorado Museum

Avatar photo by Hrag Vartanian

Kathleen Folden, 56, of Kalispell, Montana, has been charged with attacking an art work by California-based artist Enrique Chagoya with a crowbar while it was on display in the Loveland Museum Gallery in Loveland, Colorado. The 12-panel lithograph, according to the artist’s statement to FoxNews, depicts “no nudity, or genitals, or explicit sexual contact” and portrays “a dressed woman, a religious icon’s head, a man showing his tongue, and a skull of a Pope in the upper right corner of the controversial page.”

Critics of the work argue that it represents Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the son of God, as receiving oral sex from another man. FoxNews gives its own interpretation of the work and describes it as having “several images of Jesus, including one in which he appears to be receiving oral sex from a man as the word ‘orgasm’ appears beside Jesus’ head.” The attack took place last Wednesday at 4pm.

Posted inArt

John Cage “Silenced” on YouTube?

by Kyle Chayka

YouTube user AdamLore posted a video on his channel November 8, 2009 of John Cage performing his seminal piece 4’ 33”, a piece of music in which the famed minimalist composer placed a stopwatch on his piano and did nothing for the specified length of time. The twist to the Youtube version is that the audio has apparently been excised from the video, leaving John Cage’s performed “silence” as real, literal silence. The censorship is apparently courtesy of Warner Music Group, with a tagline below the video claiming “NOTICE This video contains an audio track that has not been authorized by WMG. The audio has been disabled.” But is that the real story?

Posted inArt

Words and Pictures: A Controversy

by Lawrence Swan

Molly Norris has been told by the FBI that she needs to change her name and go into hiding because of a cartoon she drew making fun of Comedy Central for censoring South Park. I don’t know what to do about it, but I’m not going to respond by making a cartoon ridiculing Muslims. Maybe I’ll ridicule terrorists and their sponsors, but they just don’t listen to me. Back in May, Hrag wrote about Molly Norris and the stir it caused. I see I clicked Like, and its a good article, but I remember being bothered by Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, and not wanting to participate in it.