Here’s my take on Bill Henson. We went and saw his last exhibition in Melbourne and were totally blown away … some narrow minded/shopping centre frequenting/commercial tv watching/breakfast radio listening peops will go “of course” seeing as they think we’re sexual deviants to begin with anyways and are therefore predisposed to loving all things perverse.
Anyhoo … my honest opinion is that YES I found some of his photos quite intensely sexual but not in a “phwoarh nice hot young thing” kind of way but in a wider sense of the word sexual … or at least my interpretation of it ... my initial reaction was one of envy … I was envious of youth and discovery and experiencing the "new" … painful as this sometimes can be ... once lost, it feels like its lost forever ... age chips away at life's patina of hope and possibility and sours the moment of sexual awakening with guilt and shame, whilst it cowardly hides behind hindsight and the ephemeral cloak of adulthood.
Ok I'm waffling but why does someone always have to ruin the party and turn something that to me is aesthetically pleasing into something I should feel ashamed of. Why is sex such a divisive concept for something that is natural .... newsfIash peops ... I had sexual thoughts when I was in my pre-teens!!! I didn't seek them out, they just happened as my physical body started to mature ... I hope that these people who invest so much time and effort in speaking out against what they see as child exploitation are also spending time bringing up children to respect other people's views and cultures, and to have compassion for all other living things that share this earth with them, to be productive members of society and to always strive to improve themselves spiritually.
Admittedly, there are dark elements to Henson's photos but I approach these as dramatic moments of quiet reflection … puberty churning in the depths of souls that are about to step slowly into the light of adulthood … whether you view this moment of reflection as looking to the past, or looking to the future, is a statement on your psyche more than anything else.
Look, I can see both sides of the story. I truly can. But the question of authority and consent is such a pedagogical minefield .... I’m not even going to go there … on the one hand we don’t give children enough credit for their ability to understand concepts that we arbitrarily deem adult, and then we turn around and question the viability of their respective guardians making their decisions for them.
“cake and eat it” springs to mind.
Unfortunately, the luxury of being able to sit here and debate this is slowly being eroded. I’m all for having opinions aired and discussions heated, but why is it that when the conservative (i.e. middle class voters) arm of society decides to speak out events are cancelled and works banned? Why doesn’t it work the other way? Why does the creative arm of society always have to be the “bigger” person in this relationship?
PS - would we look at a nude painting of a child in a different way? There's plenty out there.
PPS - can a photograph be a work of art - discuss
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