Well art is about starting conversations so he’s hit the target here.
Healthy-Incident-491 on
Another great example of people choosing to be offended and shocked by something that’s neither to most reasonable people.
Ok_Fly_9544 on
Lol there has been morons that object to art since the dawn of human civilisation. Fuck ’em.
No-Ninja455 on
Why is it offensive and upsetting? It’s a woman that lights up on the bottom of a river. Like a.nymph
Raecheltart on
It’s beautiful.
It’s evocative and I believe that’s what art should be.
People like to be offended sometimes. I can see why this would upset someone but maybe asking the question about why it upsets them and having some introspective is a productive next step.
captainhornheart on
There were two similar sculptures there for years and no one minded them. I don’t understand why a few people are getting upset now.
To be honest, the previous concrete ones were much more tasteful than this glowing multicoloured thing. There’s nothing offensive about it though.
DazzaHazza1975 on
“She looks like a drowned woman”. Job done then 👍
If the artist honestly meant no offence, how can he possibly be responsible for someone’s subjective reactions to it. This is the logical extreme of this weird thing today where just being confronted with the notion of something is just as offensive as it actually happening. It’s shutting everyone off from shared wisdom. Perhaps the image of a dead woman might make some poor sod think twice before going in the water
Drummk on
Imagine making a piece of art that impacts people emotionally!
R_110 on
So essentially two old people moaned and now it’s national news?
djshadesuk on
>*”How did the council not see the link to women as victims of crime”*
Oh just f**k right off.
badgersruse on
People who go out of their way to be offended are best ignored. You can’t reason with them, they aren’t interested in sensible anything, they just want to feel smug moral superiority. Fuck ‘em.
Interesting-Being579 on
People complain about modern art/ corporate sculptures that look like nothing, but this is exactly how you end up with it.
Specialist_Attorney8 on
Not offensive in the slightest, I see this as as nod to Millais’ Ophelia.
I can appreciate all death is tragic, however tying art to the most recent tragic incident seems to be desperate to find offence.
antlered-godi on
It looks really good. It’s a piece of art. If it inspires conversations around difficult subjects, even better.
Offensive it is not…..
And what the heck does ‘tone deaf’ even mean when referring to a sculpture?
Just the modern herd mentality at work again.
renebelloche on
Wait, the article says the sculpture “is based on the painting which inspired Shakespeare’s tragic heroine Ophelia”—hasn’t it got things backwards here?
Praetorian_1975 on
Huh 🤔 there’s nothing disturbing about it, it’s actually quite pretty and that it lights up at night is cool. I guess people are that bored they now have to ‘imagine’ things to be offended at.
VonRatty on
Being offended by this is so simple minded I can’t believe it.
Longjumping_Stand889 on
>features LEDs which light up at night
Dunno about disturbing but it sounds like something you’d get at Home Bargains.
ThistleFaun on
Art wouldn’t exist at all if we listen to people getting offended because ‘that looks like something that can happen in real life’ 🙄
>”I can’t be the only person who finds this deeply offensive. She looks like a drowned woman. How did the council not see the link to women as victims of crime or the sad fact so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees.”
God forbid a work of art make someone think of difficult topics that are relevant to us! If this person gave a single shit about those people drowning, they’d see this work as a way to make others think about what is happening and not want to hide it away.
Nell0pe on
I think this speaks more to the increasing lack of media literacy than people looking to be outraged, although I do think that plays a role. One of the complaints is that it “looks like a drowned woman” – yes, obviously it does, it’s deliberately invoking the image of Ophelia. But if you’ve never seen the original painting, or know the story of Hamlet and the fate of the character, you won’t know that.
mathcampbell on
Art that doesn’t make you uncomfortable or ask questions or make you think about difficult topics or your place in the world isn’t art. It’s decoration for a lawyers office.
jaavaaguru on
>the sad fact so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees
Yeah, the sculpture isn’t the problem here. Do something about the actual problem and stop moaning about art.
DucksBac on
Beautiful and stirs debate. Yep. That’s some good art!
Also, some people love to be offended, so this will make them happy!
somethingbrite on
Fuck what anybody else thinks. I think it’s beautiful.
BlackSpinedPlinketto on
Pathetic attempt to claim to be ‘controversial’. I’m betting no one gave a shit about this mediocre piece of A-level artwork.
Ophelia is actually a pretty decent painting. This looks like something you’d buy from a garden Center.
TeaBoy24 on
Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millaiw, currently in Tate London…
26 Comments
Well art is about starting conversations so he’s hit the target here.
Another great example of people choosing to be offended and shocked by something that’s neither to most reasonable people.
Lol there has been morons that object to art since the dawn of human civilisation. Fuck ’em.
Why is it offensive and upsetting? It’s a woman that lights up on the bottom of a river. Like a.nymph
It’s beautiful.
It’s evocative and I believe that’s what art should be.
People like to be offended sometimes. I can see why this would upset someone but maybe asking the question about why it upsets them and having some introspective is a productive next step.
There were two similar sculptures there for years and no one minded them. I don’t understand why a few people are getting upset now.
To be honest, the previous concrete ones were much more tasteful than this glowing multicoloured thing. There’s nothing offensive about it though.
“She looks like a drowned woman”. Job done then 👍
If the artist honestly meant no offence, how can he possibly be responsible for someone’s subjective reactions to it. This is the logical extreme of this weird thing today where just being confronted with the notion of something is just as offensive as it actually happening. It’s shutting everyone off from shared wisdom. Perhaps the image of a dead woman might make some poor sod think twice before going in the water
Imagine making a piece of art that impacts people emotionally!
So essentially two old people moaned and now it’s national news?
>*”How did the council not see the link to women as victims of crime”*
Oh just f**k right off.
People who go out of their way to be offended are best ignored. You can’t reason with them, they aren’t interested in sensible anything, they just want to feel smug moral superiority. Fuck ‘em.
People complain about modern art/ corporate sculptures that look like nothing, but this is exactly how you end up with it.
Not offensive in the slightest, I see this as as nod to Millais’ Ophelia.
I can appreciate all death is tragic, however tying art to the most recent tragic incident seems to be desperate to find offence.
It looks really good. It’s a piece of art. If it inspires conversations around difficult subjects, even better.
Offensive it is not…..
And what the heck does ‘tone deaf’ even mean when referring to a sculpture?
Just the modern herd mentality at work again.
Wait, the article says the sculpture “is based on the painting which inspired Shakespeare’s tragic heroine Ophelia”—hasn’t it got things backwards here?
Huh 🤔 there’s nothing disturbing about it, it’s actually quite pretty and that it lights up at night is cool. I guess people are that bored they now have to ‘imagine’ things to be offended at.
Being offended by this is so simple minded I can’t believe it.
>features LEDs which light up at night
Dunno about disturbing but it sounds like something you’d get at Home Bargains.
Art wouldn’t exist at all if we listen to people getting offended because ‘that looks like something that can happen in real life’ 🙄
>”I can’t be the only person who finds this deeply offensive. She looks like a drowned woman. How did the council not see the link to women as victims of crime or the sad fact so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees.”
God forbid a work of art make someone think of difficult topics that are relevant to us! If this person gave a single shit about those people drowning, they’d see this work as a way to make others think about what is happening and not want to hide it away.
I think this speaks more to the increasing lack of media literacy than people looking to be outraged, although I do think that plays a role. One of the complaints is that it “looks like a drowned woman” – yes, obviously it does, it’s deliberately invoking the image of Ophelia. But if you’ve never seen the original painting, or know the story of Hamlet and the fate of the character, you won’t know that.
Art that doesn’t make you uncomfortable or ask questions or make you think about difficult topics or your place in the world isn’t art. It’s decoration for a lawyers office.
>the sad fact so many drown off the Kent coast as refugees
Yeah, the sculpture isn’t the problem here. Do something about the actual problem and stop moaning about art.
Beautiful and stirs debate. Yep. That’s some good art!
Also, some people love to be offended, so this will make them happy!
Fuck what anybody else thinks. I think it’s beautiful.
Pathetic attempt to claim to be ‘controversial’. I’m betting no one gave a shit about this mediocre piece of A-level artwork.
Ophelia is actually a pretty decent painting. This looks like something you’d buy from a garden Center.
Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millaiw, currently in Tate London…