MAC Birmingham

[Madbadandusuallysad]

The MAC thinks this sort of photo is appropriate for 6 year old kids to walk past on their way to their activities, the photo is part of an LGBT+ Bangladeshi artist's display.

Its really not on is it? My 8 year old was just asked me about it and I'm.stuck for words.

@Helleofabore

Torunette

Oh good grief. I have been looking at it on my phone. I thought I imagined the 'vulva' on the small screen. I also wondered what the bird thing was doing in the 'neck' but really didn't want to allocate any further brain capacity to interpreting it.

I am currently procrastinating from work, so was in a perfect place to allocate brain capacity to a distinctly bizarre piece of artwork.

I could pretend I took one for the team, but it was a displacement activity and I have to admit it.

@Ozanj

What is so wrong about penises?

Excellent thread, Pots.

Grotesque and a smashing bit of ‘shut up you plebby Karen’ from the director.

That image is obscene and absolutely playing to the woke zeitgeist and the director is merrily geeing them on.

It looks like something from an x-rated version of The Thing (this is NOT a compliment).

There's something about that artwork that is very Cronenberg, albeit with flowers.

There's something about all of this ideology that's very Cronenberg.

@ScreamingMeMe

It looks like something from an x-rated version of The Thing (this is NOT a compliment).

Ah! We are thinking along the same lines, Screaming.

It's a kind of bodyshock horror, but with a peacock.

Do you have a burner twitter account? Maybe pop it on one with the response highlighted the I see no safeguarding issues I mean what a relief to be told this everyone should know about this immediately

@Helleofabore

I wonder how many of them simply looked at their shoes rather than admit to finding the linking of children in this painting unpalatable?

Not just children. Battered and bleeding children.

If I may, I understand these images being from a hindu background. These images are a bastardisation of standard hindu iconography. The yoni/lingam (vagina/penis) is a sculpture found in most hindu temples and illustrates the male and female energies that create and animate the world. An orthodox hindu will find the image as displayed in B'ham very crude and insulting but when you understand the status of hindus in Bangladesh and the likelihood that these images are not likely created by hindu Bangladeshis,maybe the insult is intentional. A similar depiction of muslim figures will be highly controversial.

Some hindu male gods like Shiva are also depicted as half male and female (not really androgynous but clearly male or female on each side). This is to illustrate either the principle of male and female (equal and each indispensable) forces that make up the cosmos or to illustrate a specific story from the mythology. Similar to Macbeth, there are evil demons who are unvanquishable either indoors or outdoors, day or night and by male or female hands. So the male God assumes the binary form (note it is clearly not enby) and kills the demon at twilight on the threshold of a dwelling. There is more than one story like this in Hinduism.

The human heads thingy is again from the standard iconography of Shiva or Kali (the rather stern female incarnation of the Devi). That a bunch of queer artists from Bangladesh, a country which has tried to decimate its hindu population and is decidedly unfriendly to its homosexual population, have made so free with a religious culture that is not theirs is remarkable.

If you were to show these images on Twitter, the rightwing hindu types will explode.

Thanks @mirax

Interesting to hear about all the cultural links.

Hi, sorry i didn't come back to the thread last night, poorly kids were waking through the night.

If anyone does wish to complain or pass comment (you all have been awesome and are very eloquent compared to me) please email [email protected]

I would advise some caution protesting these images.

1. It is art, so the obscenity laws may not apply
2. The inspiration is religious art - using terms like obscene may anger British Hindus, (these images are very crude but the original hindu art is often very beautiful and laden with meaning). There is a long tradition of Europeans and Muslims insulting Hindu art (very much full of nudity and even pornographic on occasion) without understanding the traditions and meaning behind them.

Why does the MAC'S own website say thus about the exhibition?

This exhibition contains images of nudity and themes of an adult nature. Some artworks refer to events or emotions which some audiences may find challenging or upsetting. If you require further information, please speak to a member of our team.

If they're warning you and stating there are "themes of an adult nature", why then is the art work in a place that children can see? Either it is of an adult nature as their website says or its not like the email response suggests. Which one is it?

So, it's, arguably, plagiarised from and disrespectful to the Hindu religion. I think it's like bad student art. Shocking for the sake of it, lacking in subtlety and amaturish. It looks like it's been done in poster paint. I admit the cock peacock, not the cock cock, is okay. It doesn't look impressed at all!

@IcakethereforeIam

Oh yes, it is cultural appropriation and actually very derivative,
one-dimensional art. It only looks startlingly original to those ignorant of one of the oldest and most vivid religious iconographies of the world. I hinted at how it can be shut down - you just need to bring it to the attention of the Hindu rage boys online. There is a long controversy about how non-hindus misuse Hindu religious art. One of India's most well known artists MF Husain was controversial for his paintings of nude hindu goddesses. Hindu conservatives were upset that he made so free with their treasured symbols while there was a very well-policed line against iconic images in the muslim tradition.

@Mirax I am not of the Hindu faith and it would be i appropriate for me to complain on those grounds. I also don't live near Birmingham. I thought your post was fascinating, much more interesting than the art work in question.

If someone had shown me this painting and told me it was from the Museum of Bad Art touring exhibition I would have totally believed them..

Mirax, that was really interesting! Thank you explaining all that.