Discovering Art: What is Shock Art? by Brianna Blanks

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DISCOVERING ART: WHAT IS SHOCK ART?

WHAT IS SHOCK ART? HISTORY HAS SHOCK ART LOST ITS SPARK? SENSATION ART EXHIBIT RELATED MOVEMENTS WORKS CITED

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WHAT IS SHOCK ART? Shock art is contemporary art that incorporates disturbing imagery, sound or scents to create a shocking experience. It is a way to disturb ‘smug, complacent and hypocritical’ people. While the art form's proponents argue that it is ‘imbedded with social commentary’ and critics dismiss it as ‘cultural pollution,’ it is an increasingly marketable art, described by one art critic in 2001 as ‘the safest kind of art that an artist can go into the business of making today.’ But while shock art may attract curators and make headlines, Reason magazine's 2007 review of The Art Newspaper suggested that ‘traditional art shows continue to have more popular appeal.’ Shock art is art that is purposely made to surprise viewers and intended to offend. Shock artist typically create unorthodox pieces that veer away from the aesthetically pleasing. Instead depicting the beauties, shock art displays the grotesque and odd. Shock art can come in many forms such as (but not limited to):   • Painting • Movies • Photography • Performance art • Installation art • Drawings

HISTORY While the movement has become increasingly mainstream, the roots of shock art run deep into art history; Royal Academy curator Norman Rosenthal noted in the catalog for the ‘shock art’ exhibit Sensation in 1997 that artists have always been in the business of conquering ‘territory that hitherto has been taboo’. In China, which experienced an active ‘shock art’ movement following the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, encroachment on the taboo has led the Ministry of Culture to attempt a crackdown on the art form, banning the use of corpses or body parts in art. In 1998, John Windsor in The Independent said that the work of the Young British Artists seemed tame compared with that of the ‘shock art’ of the 1970s, including ‘kinky outrages’ at the Nicholas Treadwell Gallery, amongst which were a ‘hanging, anatomically detailed leather straitjacket, complete with genitals,” titled Pink Crucifixion, by Mandy Havers.’ The ‘Shock Art’ movement has became popular as an contemporary art movement, but the idea of using art to disturb has been around for a centuries. Shock art has been used to show the negative side of society and to celebrate the taboo.

Fountain. (Marcel Duchamp). 1917 work produced of a porcelain urinal. The urinal was signed “R.Mutt.” Submitted for exhibition for the Society of Independent Artists, it was rejected by the committee.

The Holy Virgin Mary. (Chris Ofili). 1996 work depicting a black Madonna wearing a blue robe made of oil paint, glitter, polyester resin, elephant dung, and pornographic images (that are meant to resemble butterflies) floating in the background. The large 8 ft x 6ft image has caused controversy in New York City, being deemed as, “sick” by mayor, Rudolph Giuliani.

Piss Christ. (Andres Serrano). 1987 photograph of a plastic crucifix submerged into a glass of Serrano’s urine. The work was a winner of “Awards in the Visual Arts” at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Arts.

The Dinner Party. (Judy Chicago). 1971 installation artwork done depicting a triangular dinner table set for thirty-nine people. The thirty-nine places are set for famous fictional and nonfictional women of history with each side of the triangle set for a different era. Each “butterfly” on the plates represents a vulva.

Myra. (Marcus Harvey). 1995 painting of murderer, Myra Hindley. The painting looks like it was done with newspaper clippings to create its grayscale effect, but it was actually created using casts of an infant’s hand to build up a mosaic of handprints.

My Bed. (Tracey Emin). Created in 1988, it is a photograph of the artist’s bedroom objects. The controversy to the photo resulted from the easily identified menstrual-blood stained bedsheets, bloody menstrual pads, and blood stained pads, although the photo did depict other objects commonly found in a bedroom.

HAS SHOCK ART LOST ITS SPARK? What creates shock-value? Can art still be shocking? The New York Times conducted a poll asking the general public’s opinion of what is the most shocking artistic event of the history. The winner was Ofili’s, The Holy Virgin Mary, which lead to the discussion asking: What makes “shock art” shocking? Four art critics from the New York Times (Ben Brantley, Alastair Macaulay, A.O. Scott, and Roberta Smith) discussed what does it take to create shock value? The four critics had varying inputs, but one opinion remained consistent: It’s all in the context. “But it doesn’t have to be brutal art.” states Brantley, Chief Theater Critic, at New York Times. It’s the context that produces shock value. Creating something intensely grotesque or offensive will not just create shock, not for all at least. While the critics of the New York Times, agree shock should come from context and not content, many participants still feel the need to cast a weary eye on what passes for shock. Roberta Smith wrote people usually, “deliberately chose to be shocked and to use their shock in divisive, irresponsible, sensationalizing, not to mention politically manipulative ways.” Jon Caramanica, put it a little differently: “There’s something hopelessly middle class about shock.” Can art have shock value or is “shock art” just for those without a spark in their life?

SENSATION ART EXHIBIT Sensation was an exhibition of a collection of contemporary art (most pieces being Shock Art) owned by Charles Saatchi, including many works by Young British Artists, and first took place in 1997. The controversial show began in at the Royal Academy of Art in London and traveled to Berlin, Australia and New York. Sensation showcased 110 works by 44 different artists. In London, the exhibit was extremely popular with the general public. It attracted over 300,000 visitors, with much from the help from the media attention the strong subject matter attracted. BBC described the exhibition as: “gory images of dismembered limbs and explicit pornography. In Berlin, the show was so popular that it extended past its original closing date. The immense collection of shock art, didn’t ignite a spark in everyone. A German art critic remarked there was, “no sensation about Sensation.” and that the Berlin audience mostly found the work, “more sad and serious than irreverent, funny, and dazzling.” In New York, Chris Ofili’s, The Holy Virgin Mary, caused much controversy. A man was arrested for criminal mischief after attempting to vandalize the painting with white paint. The museum created a yellow stamp warning that the exhibition, “may cause shock, vomiting, confusion, panic, euphoria and anxiety.” Ofili’s painting had to be shown behind plexiglass and guarded by a museum attendant and armed police officer. In Australia, the show never went on. It was cancelled by National Gallery of Australia director, Brian Kennedy, claiming it was “too close to market.”

FEATURED ARTISTS:

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Jake & Dinos Chapman Adam Chodzko Mat Collishaw Tracey Emin Marcus Harvey Damien Hirst Gary Hume Michael Landy Abigail Lane Sarah Lucas Ron Mueck Chris Ofili Richard Patterson Simon Patterson Marc Quinn Fiona Rae Sam Taylor-Wood Gavin Turk Gillian Wearing Rachel Whiteread Darren Almond Maurizio Anzeri Richard Billingham Glenn Brown Simon Callery Keith Coventry Peter Davies Paul Finnegan Mark Francis Alex Hartley Mona Hatoum Langlands & Bell Martin Maloney Jason Martin Alain Miller Ron Mueck Jonathan Parsons Hadrian Pigott

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James Rielly Jenny Saville Yinka Shonibare Jane Simpson Mark Wallinger Cerith Wyn Evans

Hirst, Damien. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living. (1991.) Notorious piece featured in the art exhibition, Sensation, of a tiger shark preserved in formaldehyde.

RELATED MOVEMENTS Transgressive & Neo-Gothic Art

TRANSGRESSIVE ART Transgressive art is art that aims to to outrage or violate basic mores and sensibilities. The term transgressive was first used by American filmmaker Nick Zedd and his Cinema of Transgression. Many traces of transgression can be found in any art which by some is considered offensive because of its shock value. Transgressive works share some themes with art that deals with psychological dislocation and mental illness.

NEO-GOTHIC ART Neo-Gothic is a contemporary art movement that highlights horror and darkness. The style is guessed to have began with the “Gothic” exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston in 1997. Gothic subculture artist Charles Moffat may have also contributed to the art style with, The Neo Gothic Art Manifesto, which emphasizes rebellion against normality.

WORKS CITED Schuessler, Jennifer. “Who’s The Shockingest of Them All?” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 5 Oct. Web. 21 April 2015. <http:// www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/art-shock.html?_r=0#/#finale.> Schuessler, Jennifer. “Critics’ Forum: The Shocking Power of Great Art.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 4 Oct. Web. 21 April 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/art-shock.html?_r=0#/#finale.>