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Artists Take Censorship Protest to 5th Avenue
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 20, 2010
Modified Dec 20, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 20, 2010
Modified Dec 20, 2010
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Yesterday a group of artists and activists took to the cold city streets to protest censorship in art, specifically, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's decision to pull a video by late artist David Wojnarowicz. Amongst the images in the video, called "A Fire in My Belly" (below), is one of ants crawling over a crucified Jesus. The work was part of the Washington exhibit "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture," according to the Daily News, but was pulled when members of Congress and William Donohue of the Catholic League disapproved. A Smithsonian rep says, "It was becoming all about the video. We tried to avoid removing it. But it would have been the focal point, and everyone would have gone straight to that. It was overwhelming everything else. That's all everyone was talking about." Yes, please stop talking about the art, people—it should be about pretty pictures that don't evoke emotions.
Though the exhibit was in D.C., the protesters marched from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum on East 91st Street yesterday, the latter is operated by the Smithsonian. One artist on hand told the NY Post, "We're here to send a very loud message to the Smithsonian. Put the Wojnarowicz video back now! This street demonstration in New York reflects rising anger in the heart of the art community. Almost every professional art organization has condemned the censorship."
You can currently view the video for free in the lobby of the New Museum, it will be there through January 23rd.
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a fire in my belly
art
censorship
David Wojnarowicz
protest
smithsonian
video
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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