Sunday 14 May 2006

Love that codpiece!

Ming Yi Sung - Elven Crochet Sculpture (2005) photo by the artist
Coxsoft Art spares itself no blush to bring its readers the facts. Dipping into archives of art censorship, I found a crocheted statue by Ming Yi Sung, from 2005. This little chap and his 10 elven companions prompted staff working in that building which housed the exhibits to complain about the elves' stark nudity. The artist responded by crocheting codpieces and fig leaves to hide the offending bits. Sensible compromise. In another case in the USA - different artist - a janitor complained about a mural in his workplace depicting naked Amerindians. The moral of these tales is that artists and the sponsers of artworks must now consider workers' rights. Power to the workers! Who would ever have thought that the USA would embrace this guiding principle of Communism (in theory, if not in practice) so wholeheartedly?

3 Comments:

At 17/5/06, Blogger Unknown said...

People are such funny things. Art expresses their fantasies and their need for perfection. Not having seen what lurked under the codpiece, I can't say whether it attained perfection or fell short.
Whatever, the workers didn't like it.

 
At 19/5/06, Blogger Unknown said...

Stupid, but empowered!
Did you ever see my blog on the 2 versions of Canova's Cupid & Psyche standing (with & without codpiece)? Find the large comparison graphic at http://homepages.tesco.net/ian.cox99/comparisons2.htm

 
At 19/5/06, Blogger Unknown said...

I think that codpiece is one of the silliest things I've ever seen, but I suppose from the ladies' point of view the exposed version must be a disappointment. He is a little lad, after all, and Psyche is sexually abusing a minor. So it fits the bill from a man's point of view.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home