Asia-Pacific News
Police close photo show of topless children
May 22, 2008, 12:08 GMT
Sydney - Australian police acting on a complaint of child pornography being passed off as art Thursday closed down a photographic display featuring nude shots of girls aged 12 and 13.
The exhibition, which was reviewed in Australia's largest-circulation newspaper, drew the ire of child protection agencies that claimed it was child pornography masquerading as art.
'Police have spoken to the photographer and gallery owners,' Superintendent Allan Sicard told reporters outside the gallery. 'As a result of this conversation, all parties have agreed the exhibition will be temporarily closed to allow further inquiries to be made.'
Hetty Johnston, executive director of child sexual assault action group Bravehearts, urged police to charge photographer Bill Henson and the gallery displaying his photographs.
'It's child exploitation, it's criminal activity and it should be prosecuted,' Johnston told Australia's AAP news agency. 'They are clearly illegal child pornography images. It's not about art at all. It's a crime and I hope they are prosecuted.'
Henson was unapologetic about his photographs, saying that the parents of his subjects agreed to have their children appear topless for the delectation of the paying public.
'Kids of this age, they seem to, as all those clichés go, be half in childhood and half in the adult world,' Henson told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'They're at a point where there is an exponential change, both psychologically and physically taking place, and this all kind of creates a floating world of expectation and uncertainty.'
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Older Talkback
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Nude pictures of children, a deplorable offense that usually results in the arrest and conviction of the offender for child pornography. Somehow this artist thought those laws would not apply to him, simply because he was a famous photographer. Because an artist considers what is by definition a crime 'art' should not make it acceptable to a fair and equal society. For example I am sure the Australian art community would not even consider defending an average individual who had nude pictures of children, but they have the gall to attack others for holding this man accountable like anyone else. The hypocrisy should be obvious but if the previous poster is any hint to the mind of the aussie art community it has yet to dawn on them and probably never will. For as creative as an artist must be one would assume empathy or at least perspective must come easily, if not for the photographer in question then at least for those who are demeaning themselves by attacking the authority this man ignored
How stupid, narrow minded, and sick does someone have to be to equate 'nude pictures' with pornography. Such a person either does not have the slightest idea of what the term pornography means or has such a sick and perverted imagination that the mere glimpse of nudity wakes all kinds of dirty phantasies in him.
Comments like the one above tell more about what is going on in the mind of the person making them than about the issue they are claiming to comment on.
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Paul Candy-Artist in Melbourne, Australia.May 22nd, 2008 - 15:07:24
Ms.Hetty Johnston the director and founder of the otherwise excellent 'Bravehearts' organisation, has unfortunately deeply embarassed her public reputation. Her call to have the highly critically respected and internationally applauded artist Mr. Bill Henson arrested for his work, is beyond her public mandate and qualifications. Ironically her comments are the most audacious and radical I have ever heard within this ongoing public debate. I urge anyone to research 'why?' this artist chooses to use this type of content and 'why?' he is acclaimed within the Fine Arts industry. Perhaps when clearly placed within context Bill Henson's photographs serve to create a dialogue within dogma.
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