Transgression and taste.
When looking at transgression and taste within our society we look at things that test our beliefs, our boundaries, and how we have, maybe, grown up seeing our surroundings, the world and ourselves. This can be very challenging for our minds and our emotions and challenges where we are and can have us question our values and who we think we are as human beings. Certain crimes stay with us forever, such as the Jamie Bulger case and the Moors murders with Myra Hindley. Some of these parts of history have been turned into art pieces.
As these are awful crimes, they make us question the humans involved which then forces us to question ourselves and our own humanity. We wish to push the evil away and once it is away; it is away. We wish not to question it once again, so for this to be placed within art and for us to look at it, accept it, and embrace it is exceedingly challenging for the human spirit, or the human mind.
The artist, Jamie Wagg was an artist who took on the famous image of the boy Jamie Bulger being captured. This image is one that was used in many newspapers. We all remember it very well. He was seen as an artist exploiting a tragedy. The artist started receiving death threats at his home.
A crime that will forever be with our generation was the Moors Murders. Marcus Harvey, an artist, chose to do a painting of Myra Hyndley. This was not just any painting; this was the famous press mug shot that will forever remain in our conscience. He pursued this painting and had it placed in an exhibition. This painting had to be guarded as it stirs up feelings that a woman could do this to children. For this be seen as a photo and to then be transitioned into a painting is potentially seen as glorifying, however. When a photo is consistently used in a paper, could that not be seen as the same thing, to promote a story or to make people draw close by the newspaper.
It is important that art can explore these ideas as it raises the question of keeping things locked in boxes, which stops us moving forward as individuals and as a society. We do not allow ourselves into problematic spaces to try and move forward.
IMAGES TO PLACE OF MYRA HYNDLEY
When looking at the painting that was created by the artist Marcus Harvey the work is good using a child's handprint to create what has been known as quite a chilling mug shot of a child killer which was a woman. Marcus Harvey is from Leeds which is in Yorkshire so this crime would have been quite personal as it is close to Manchester but not far from Leeds. I would not like this painting in my house as I think it would have me having bad dreams.
Jamie Wagg decided to work with the famous shot of JAMIE BULGER being walked away with the boys that killed him. This is a work that can only bring up old memories of such an
awful time. How can one disconnect from such a subject when it was continuously flashed up.
I like it because it is placing us in a position to question our believes. This kind of art is needed in contrast to that which does not hit so hard but allows you to escape and question and escape in a light way. That does not threaten who we are in such a way that we can feel disgust or ashamed.
