Bill Henson's exhibition at Roslyn Oxley9 in Sydney has got people wild. Not in a go-out-and-party way either.
I'm quoting here - but here's the argument:
Hetty Johnston, founder and executive director of Bravehearts, achild sexual assault action group, today called for Mr Henson and thegallery to be prosecuted over the images."It's child exploitation, it's criminal activity and it should beprosecuted, both the photographer Bill Henson ... but also the gallerybecause these are clearly images that are sexually exploiting youngchildren," Ms Johnston said.
"They are clearly illegal child pornography images, it's not about art at all, it's a crime and I hope they are prosecuted."
Its a hard call for anyone who hasn't seen the show to make (and I haven't)... but I think there is a difference between "romanticized" and "sexualized" depictions.
I'm also not sure that we should be saying that anything you don't like is automatically "not art". And I'm also into the idea that art should sometimes make you feel uncomfortable. And that this discomfort should sometimes make you ask difficult questions about confronting subjects.
I'm not saying I like this work and I'm also not saying I approve of any situation where a kid might be mistreated. But I think its a dangerous assumption at this point that any kids have been hurt or been done badly by.
Art is not always about warm, fuzzy, safe, happy...