The Two Fridas
by Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo
No, this is not the work I'm about to blog about. It's just that I don't feel comfortable seeing the photo I'm about to put on my blog!!!! So please click read more if you're comfortable with viewing male upper body and butt butt nudity
<<< this exhibition has no title
It has no name to it, no explanation to it, and in turn, I find no reason to call it a work of art.
Although it is commonly expressed that the definition of art is subjective, this is one of those works that I look at and feel strongly against. How can a nude man label himself a work of art???? Frankly speaking, I am absolutely disgusted by his exhibition, or rather, the public exposure of his body. We have been exposed to nude paintings in SOVA for 4 years now, yet I still cannot come to terms with a real nude body (of the opposite gender, especially) being publicly displayed. Yes he might be trying to convey the message about "removing the trappings of identity", but I feel that this extremity was unnecessary.
Having to pay a hard-earned $250 to take a photo with this man makes the exhibition even more 离谱 to me.
Now that this exhibition has accepted as a work of art in our stereotypically conservative Singapore society, I do have some things to comment about regarding the social responsibility that artists need to uphold.
According to Mr Jose Tay, the deputy director of Art Stage Singapore, permission was sought from the Media Development Authority, MDA, before Venkanna's exhibition was given the go ahead. Extra precautions had been taken with this exhibit to ensure that visitors did not feel uncomfortable. Yet how many people can say that they didn't feel the slightest bit of discomfort upon being seated beside the naked man? It might have been an exciting experience to some of them..., but this is something I feel that the female audiences of this work shouldn't have been exposed to. It infringes on the boundary that draws the line between male and female privacy. If I go down this line further, it will become an LA essay!!!
I shall move on to another component of the exhibition, which is the Frida Kahlo painting in the background. As quoted from here, "She shows herself split in two: one Frida wearing native Indian costume, the other wearing European dress. They are connected by a bloodline that runs from heart to heart.... A graphic image of heartbreak in which Frida's inner suffering is turned inside-out" and here, "she admitted it records the emotions surrounding her separation and martial crisis".
Sadly, this confuses me even more.
I find it really difficult to see the connection between Venkanna's intended message "removing the trappings of identity" and the meaning behind Kahlo's painting in the background. Perhaps a shallower significance of the painting being there was just so that there would be an artistically-appealing juxtaposition of the viewer+Venkanna and frida+frida when the $250 photo was taken.
All in all, I know that I've taken a rather cynical approach to talk about this exhibition, but I would like to justify that I by no means intend to put down the artist!!! I respect his artistic intentions but feel strongly that this exhibit was a little too extreme. If you do some research, you'll find that his works are generally... very suggestive/ sexual, and I feel rather uncomfortable viewing his works.
These are just my opinions!!!! :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehello Chermaine :D
ReplyDeleteSo, since Venkanna is posing (albeit in nude), and he's demanding $250 for everyone who takes a picture with him, isnt it something like street busking? Like, you know, the street buskers, wearing weird costumes and standing still as a statue for hours, along Orchard Road. Do you think that can be called art, since it's not nude and payment is not mandatory?
I think after reading your essay I see a new perspective. I never thought of it that way, and I also didn't know that people had to pay $250. But I still stand by my own opinion, that is, I think his methods are still acceptable. Maybe because I think that almost anything can be perceived as art.
(the one I removed above is the same as this one)