Editor's Note: It wasn't so long ago that CCTV shocked and appalled both art lovers and netizens alike by censoring the genitalia of Michael Angelo's famous David-Apollo statue. Many were shocked by the TV station's defilement of a classic art piece. Along these same lines, the following article, which was translated and edited from an article that appeared in the Guangzhou Daily, discusses the intense public debate over "artistic expression" and "obscenity" that recently broke out over an exhibit at the Jinhan Exhibition Center in Guangzhou for displaying oil paintings depicting a nude woman in various poses. While the organizations responsible for the exhibit are in favor of showing the art publically, the pieces have yet to win much public favor.

Most people wouldn't expect to see a painting of a sexy, nude woman bent over at the hip turning seductively towards her audience at the front entrance of a public art exhibition center. But in Guangzhou, that is exactly what visitor saw at the Jinhan Exhibition Center. From July 18 through August 3, this exhibit, which includes oil paintings of a nude woman in various sultry positions, was on display in the building's front entrance for all to see and enjoy (perhaps some more than others).

Is it art or pornography?

Unsurprisingly, Guangzhou citizens have expressed opposition and raised their eyebrows towards this unusual exhibit, which they consider to be "beyond anything that could be called art" and more along the lines of pornography. Many are calling for the local authorities to do something about the "obscene" exhibit. The local Trade and Industry Bureau, however, is in favor of the exhibit, and is standing by its opinion that the exhibit is art and deserves to be displayed publically. That being said, the representative for the bureau also stated that perhaps the exhibit hadn't gone through the proper channels for being approved for public exhibition, and that an investigation would commence shortly. In the meantime, locals can ponder amongst themselves that insolvable philosophical debate: "What exactly is art?"

Failing to win over the public

Since opening, the exhibit has caused many passers-by to slow down and do a double take at the not-so-average paintings on display. Many locals aren't so thrilled with these new artistic developments. Ms. Su, upon stumbling on the exhibit, immediately went to shield her child's innocent eyes from the naked obscenity, expressing an extreme distaste for the collection: "This is really unacceptable, think of how it will influence children." Mr. Liu was a bit more understanding of the exhibit and the reasons for displaying such controversial pieces, although he was quick to add, "the center really needs to take into consideration how this will affect the majority of residents in the area."

An employee at the exhibition center stated that that the exhibition is just another showing of an artist's work, and that "there's no harm in that." The exhibition center's organizers voiced similar opinions, stating that the nude paintings are just another form of art, while hoping that residents will be able to get past their initial outcries of and see the pieces from a more artistic point of view. Whether one believes that the nude paintings should be deemed "art" or "pornography", it's hard not to admit that the collection is an excellent conversation starter.

Defining "obscenity" both socially and legally

According to the Chinese Official Code of Advertising Law, "Public advertisements and exhibits cannot show obscene or indecent content." However, in reality, it is much more difficult to concretely define what exactly qualifies as "obscene" or "indecent". Authorities have admitted that there are many loopholes in the current legal code for advertising and that obscenity-related laws can be easily taken advantage of by advertisers and other organizations: "Some advertisements and public exhibitions are misleading and inherently pornographic. Yet, the companies behind this content are able to use 'artistic expression' as a defense, all the while negatively influencing society by confusing legal concepts and thwarting law enforcement."

While the debate of "obscenity versus art" may not be a new one in many countries, this exhibit marks one of the first times that China has so openly debated such a complex hot-topic issue. It will be interesting to see if more controversial art will be displayed in the future or if censorship of nudity will continue to reign supreme.

Source: chinanews

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Keywords: Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center nude controversy obscene art China nude art controversy China