MissWrite: He should have a problem with it. We should all have a problem with it. That's the point of the photo-shoot. Art is supposed to provoke our senses. In my opinion, this shoot is even tame; but that's probably because Nigerians are so sanctimonious that some artists won't dare to get brutal with their imagery. A cigarette doesn't say "decadent" very eloquently because most people are fine with it. But there is decadence in so many people who profess to be men (or women) of "the cloth". We hear stories everyday of pastors involved in despicable acts, and even the regular church-going Nigerian has no charity or forgiveness in his heart; so we see jungle justice, child-abuse, and other ills prevail. Going by the number of churches on every street (and the glorious noise emanating from the buildings every single day) we are a righteous crowd; going by the news, we are also very corrupt. This photo-shoot is supposed to reflect that. If it deserves outrage, so does our society.
People should be more pragmatic when they look at art, because there is usually a valid message. Closing yourself off would only lead you to rot in your own filth. not everybody can be Bosch, you know. |