Post Bill Henson, it seems self-censorship will be the order of the day for A Cautious Australia, as it is for the overly-cautious Australia Council. Especially when it comes to “semi-nudes”. However that is still to be defined. So is this the first example? We know the weekend magazines often run the same ad, presumably to get double the impact. But this weekend something strange has happened!
Either the Sydney Morning Herald pictures editor thought the semi-nude figure in the background of this ad should take a jump, or the pix ed at the Weekend Australian thought it needed all the spice it could get. But you might ask, what is/was this weird-arse biomorph doing there in the first place? (The term “weird-arse” is used here in its technical sense…)
Is there a narrative here? Or do we conclude that this Homage to Photoshop’s only reason for being is as a strategy devised by the advertising agency, anticipating that the presence/absence of this figure in just one version will attract greater attention, as it has with us. Pity. But when Bill takes up digital photography, just think how much fun we will have… The Australia Council, sponsored by Photoshop…
3 responses so far ↓
1 dan008 // Nov 30, 2008 at 10:35 am
Just how uncomfortable many people have become with the human form is a disturbing trend that can only have negative cultural implications. We seem to be reversing out of the great enlightenment of the 60s and 70s. It seems to be driven by fear. The Henson thing is the thin edge of the wedge. The most worrying thing is the number of people who are saying that this is just another moral panic that will blow over. Wake up people, this is a seismic cultural shift and not one that liberal minded people should brush off. Now while the religious right have a part to play in this shift, it is wrong to say it is just them.
Lastly, the only connecting the editing of this ad has to Henson is highlighting the moral shift in the last few years nothing else. The arts issue is much more important that the advertising issue. But unless the Australian arts community get their heads out of their backsides and begin to realise what is happening around them, so that they can engage with it in a meaningful way, there may not be much art left in the next decade or so, and amatuer culture vultures like me will stop defending you and just start saying, “I told you so”. It is that bad. It is that serious.
2 Ms Photoshop 2008 — transit lane // Dec 1, 2008 at 12:25 pm
[...] post on ArtWranglers is relevant to ongoing discussions of censorship and the photographic [...]
3 Shazia // Dec 31, 2008 at 12:06 am
Great and interesting article which I can associate myself completely with.
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