Censorship Debate

I am staunchly againts the the concept of censoring the arts but I do however have comment on the Bill Henson issue.

There seems to be a number of factors in this situation.  I have heard that due to the extensive media coverage of the police seizure of a number of Henson's works the paedophiles within the community believe they have validation in their images being accepted as art.  This is not hearsay but comes from the health workers who deal with the sex offenders not serving current gaol terms.  If there was no media coverage would sex offenders be any less confused in their belief their photos are not harmful or an offense? Another factor is that Henson may have just made the wrong decision in selecting the particular images for his show.  His judgement might have been jaded by the extent of his long term investigation.  Those that were seized by the police may be images that actually do step over the line. Obviously the small selections of works were considered by those in the police force who deal with sexually offensive crime as doing just that. Sometimes artists live in a cloistered world where they think only the converted will pay attention to what they do.  Also the commercial art world itself would never want to be seen as wowsers and prudes or censorial even though they will still judge art on its saleability rather than its artistic merit or content.    So the next question is whether we as an audience actually gain anything more in what is being communicated by the works in question or has the message been stated enough already and with far more subtle and thought provoking action with the works Henson has previously produced or the less blatantly sexual images from this recent body of work? The issue of the images posted on the internet is another indicator of the democratising of art. The internet has become not only a great leveller but also a mirror of our time. All the world’s beliefs, values, directions, trends, thoughts and ideas are now in one place, and accessible to all. Sensation has been intrinsic within the evolution of art and directly linked to social event and change. But it is not the only means by which artists can separate themselves from the rest of us in order to make us think beyond our selves. Historically societies that indulge in excess and too far beyond a respect for human dignity generally come unstuckin one way or another. Artists do have a great responsibility so it is important for them to consider their work longer and within the greater social context.