UK: Council bans painting for showing naked gay couple having sex
A council has banned a painting by a top artist – because it features a naked gay couple having sex.
The Ursula Burke piece was supposed to go on show at the FE McWilliam Gallery in Banbridge, Co Down.
A council spokesman said the decision was made as the image was considered inappropriate for display to minors in a public gallery, which is funded by the council.
But Visual Artists Ireland, which describe Burke as “one of the important artists of her generation in Northern Ireland”, said the move shows the council only wants show art exhibiting values “more at home in Victorian Britain than in a modern forward-looking Northern Ireland”.
VAI, which was speaking on Ms Burke’s behalf yesterday, compared the move to Newtownabbey Council’s controversial decision to try and ban the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s Bible play.
It added: “These actions make a laughing stock of the supports for culture in Northern Ireland and are to be condemned.”
The group, which is as a representative body for artists in Ireland, said what they called the “trend by councils to interfere with the curatorial and artistic autonomy of their funded spaces is a direct attack on the freedom of artistic expression”.
They said the action by Banbridge District Council “would appear to indicate a complete lack of understanding of the role of visual art to challenge, question, and reflect”. VAI added: “Exhibitions can be clearly marked as to having content that parents may wish to control their children’s access to.
“Cases in point are the recent Kara Walker exhibition in The MAC which contained scenes of sexual intercourse in Walker’s shadow puppetry style, and the current exhibition by Alan Phelan in Golden Thread Gallery which contains scenes of extreme sexual practice in found video footage.
“Both exhibitions were open to the public with clear warnings to parents about these works.”
In a statement Banbridge District Council confirmed: “Following a review by Banbridge District Council’s Director of Leisure and Development, it has been agreed that the artwork entitled ‘After Frans Van Bloeman – Arcadian Landscape’ by artist Ursula Burke would not be included in the forthcoming exhibition, The Past is Unpredictable, which is due to open on 31 May 2014.
“This decision has been taken on the basis that the artwork in question depicted a scene of a sexual nature which was deemed inappropriate for display to minors in a public gallery.
“The FE McWilliam Gallery and Studio prides itself as a family friendly facility and encourages visitors of all ages to visit and view the exhibitions in a welcoming and comfortable environment.”
m.fitzmaurice@mgn.co.uk
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