take the fight

[harborshore]

This is the post I've been trying to write on why Evelyn Evelyn is fundamentally flawed as an artistic endeavor. ignipes wrote it better than I ever could.

I do have a problem with artists who strive to be and claim to be cutting edge but pay no attention to who they are cutting with their creations. There is a wide gulf of difference between creating a work of art designed to exploit the experiences of persons, ideas or governments in positions of privilege and power, with histories of being oppressive, and creating a work of art designed to exploit the experiences of persons who are continually exploited, or dismissed, or eroticized, or mocked, or ignored on a daily basis already. There is a vast difference between throwing artistic punches at the privileged and oppressive, and throwing artistic punches at the very people those persons, ideas and systems harm.

When a person says, "Art is supposed to be shocking and dangerous!" maybe we should stop to ask the question, "Shocking to whom? Dangerous to whom?" Does anything about the discussion and presentation of the "Evelyn, Evelyn" project - especially the words of its creators in reaction to the criticism they've received - serve to shock an ableist society into recognizing and empathizing with the struggles of disabled women and artists?

I don't need to add anything to that.

Comments

[crowgirl13.livejournal.com]

That whole post kicks ass.

[delphinapterus.livejournal.com]

As you probably know I have my own issues with the Evelyn Evelyn project but I think this really encapsulates the overall issues not only with Evelyn Evelyn but with similar projects. Shock for shock's sake is ever productive. In short I agree.

[modillian.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. AFP is just digging herself in deeper instead of bailing herself out.

[turlough]

I still haven't made up my mind about what I think about this. To be honest, part of my reluctance to make up my mind is probably that I've got zero interest in Amanda Palmer. But another part is definitely my unfortunate kneejerk You're-Narrow Minded-Idiots-Who-Think-Anything-You-Don't-Like-Is-Offensive-And-Shouldn't-Be-Allowed reaction to some of the critisism I've seen, particularly when people bring up Gerard & Lindsey's Kennedy photo and link them together as "artistic failures". I know the two projects aren't comparable at all, at least not to me, but I can't help feeling that I really don't want to be associated with people who think like that.