KS - Following grand jury obscenity controversy, OP adds 7 new sculptures to garden

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wfgodot

wfgodot

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Seven sculptures join controversial display in Overland Park (Kansas City Star)
Overland Park on Saturday dedicated seven new sculptures in the International Sculpture Garden at the city’s Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
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The new pieces join 11 sculptures dedicated last year along a wooded path at the arboretum, including “Accept or Reject,” which became controversial after some people complained about its depiction of a naked woman.

The American Family Association of Kansas and Missouri spearheaded a petition drive that required a grand jury to determine whether the sculpture was obscene.
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Wait. What?
In Kansas, another legal battle is being waged over a woman's body -- though this time it is made of glimmering bronze.

Community uproar over a bare-breasted sculpture in an Overland Park arboretum has triggered a grand jury investigation into whether the city is promoting obscenity to minors.
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(Huffington Post)
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Yes? And?

Grand jury finds Overland Park sculpture is art (opkansas.org)

Ah! Oh, and by the way - what did the sculptor have to say?
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"The artist (Yu Chang) told us that the point of the piece ("Accept or Reject") is that the virtual world removes control over one's image. He is depicting a woman who's making the conscious choice to ignore her mind, soul, and identity."
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(kcur.org)
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more at the links, with pictures at the second and fourth ones

Who? Me? I hate this sculpture. But that does not mean it is not art. Get a grip, fellow Kansans!
 
Really, wfgodot? Personally, I kind of love it! It does what the best cubism or futurism does: gives the illusion of portraying motion in a fixed medium.
 
Nova said:
Really, wfgodot? Personally, I kind of love it! It does what the best cubism or futurism does: gives the illusion of portraying motion in a fixed medium.
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Hmm.....let me see. I love sculpture, I like public art almost always. This work strikes me as visually cloying. It has a particular wheedling quality about it that I don't like. It asks for attention, and asks and asks and asks.
 
wfgodot said:
Hmm.....let me see. I love sculpture, I like public art almost always. This work strikes me as visually cloying. It has a particular wheedling quality about it that I don't like. It asks for attention, and asks and asks and asks.
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I certainly agree that it demands attention rather than merely "decorating" the space. But whether that's "cloying" is debatable to me.

I think the feat of showing an individual quite literally "beside herself" is worth the effort.

Of course we have limited views, but I also rather like "The Kiss".

Good for Kansas!
 
I do like the Nelson Gallery's Sculpture Park - largest collection of Henry Moore bronzes, plus Calder, Rodin, (etc.) and, in the gallery's immense yard, 'Shuttlecocks' by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.

Of course, that's on the Missouri side of the river.
 
Is breast feeding also of a pornographic nature to Mr. Cosby? As for his 'sexting' comment...:floorlaugh:
 
I don't see it as obscene at all. And she's not sexting, the camera is clearly pointed at her missing head (and it's a camera, for that matter, not a cell, so it would make sexting more difficult). As for her "aroused breasts", hey, it's cold outside!

Is it illegal for an adult to take a partly nude photo of herself, even in Kansas?

That said, I don't care much for the sculpture, but it wouldn't bother me for my kids to see it. Nudity is not obscene.
 
I didnt really see all the other statues..but to me it doesnt fit well with the nature/outdoor theme.
 
I also like "The Kiss", a lot. I also find "Accept or Reject" interesting - it does demand attention and thought, not just a quick look. And I generally am not a fan of cubism.

Definitely not obscene. The objections are laughable. Why are they so afraid of kids seeing it? what is so horrible about talking to kids, and explaining to them what it is, what it might mean, etc? I just don't get the mindset.
 
Okay, I'm an idiot. I can no longer located anything but "Kiss" in the original newspaper article.

I know I saw the one with the "half-woman" taking a photo of herself. Where did it go? Anybody know?
 
wfgodot said:
http://kcur.org/post/art-generates-controversy-johnson-county
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Thank you so much, godot! I do see what you mean, particularly around the breasts. Of course, "self-promotion" has been a common characteristic of Modern and Post-Modern art, but it doesn't help that the sculptor made the woman look as if she has silicon breast implants.

I wonder if that was intentional? I have to admit it's consistent with the idea of a contemporary woman taking a partially nude photo of herself in a contemporary park.

I do VERY MUCH like the idea of the statue, even now that I somewhat agree with your complaint about the execution. Good catch!
 
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