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October 15, 2009

exploding heads

exploding heads

The climatic shift in attitudes toward child abuse […] seemed to have been effectuated less by studied logic, scrupulous research, and patient wisdom than by a combination of crusader spirit, self-righteous zeal, blind-eyed stupidity, steel-knuckled meanness, inquisition-strength intolerance, star shine idealism, teeth-chattering terror, and bugfuck looniness. It was also unclear how much it accomplished.

It may be that one of the nobler - and more courageous - functions of art and artists is the probing of societies for tender points. Does it bother you here, such art asks. What about here, it inquires. When society yelps, the artist may have found an area that warrants further exploration. For art is only words and pictures; and if it causes discomfort, those areas may benefit from open airings. What are you hiding, the artist asks. Why are you hiding it? Would you care to discuss it.

ha ha ha! - this bob levin guy is great! - he’s positioned himself as a champion of “outlaws, rebels, freethinkers and pirates” in the field of comix - my only previous encounter with him was an excellent in-depth piece on vaughn bode he wrote for “the comics journal” - but he’s also written a couple of other associated books i’ll now be sure to be getting - anyway, i’m halfway thru this particular book telling the story of dwaine tinsley, offensive-for-the-hell-of-it cartoonist for hustler magazine, accused by his drug-addled daughter for sexually molesting her “at least 100, 000 times” - yeah, altho bob is sympathetic from page one, it all looks decidedly dysfunctional to me - they’re all as bad as each other - from what i’ve read so far, dwaine seems clearly as guilty as fxck, so i’m curious to see how the tale unfolds (knowing nothing about the case myself) and if bob can convince me otherwise - what is kinda disturbing is that his own art was used as “evidence” against him - in particular the unfortunate invention of a character named “chester the molester” specialising in little girls - but, hey, it’s only lines on paper! (no little girls harmed, or even depicted as being harmed, in the creation of these cartoons)

That’s the job of art. Show things that have never been seen. Say things that have never been heard. Explode people’s heads.

julien martinez

love these - it’s the glorious antithesis of the customary icky-pritty-frilly (japanese) custom blythes - which i was so eager to buy last year - but in the end never did (due to ostentatious price tags mainly) - so screw the incongruitous kawaii aspirations - blythe is intrinsically an ugly little bitch - and this artist has admirably brought out her true nature - with such a striking attention to detail - and, ironically, she looks so much more stunningly beautiful!

artist’s blog

neojapan aestheticism declaration (???)

exhibition starts today - this painting probably already sold

related posts: japonisme - ku