Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives (PC) are calling for the removal of a collage titled “Sacred Circle VI” by French-Canadian artist Rosalie Maheux. It’s on display in a provincial government building art gallery. From a distance the art looks like a mosaic. On closer inspection, one finds the patterns contain pornographic pictures of women.
From The Hamilton Spectator:
PC women’s critic Laurie Scott was “disappointed” to see a small art gallery in a provincial government office block in Toronto display a work with explicit images of women engaged in various sex acts.
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The Liberal government says the gallery is a public space operated by an independent board of directors made up of volunteers from the community and representatives from four art societies.
From The Star:
Maheux, a 26-year-old University of Toronto art graduate said it was not her intention to offend anyone with her piece titled, “Sacred Circle VI,” noting she made it perfectly clear her art contained pornographic images.
“I would really say it is more deep than that. People have said it is such a beautiful circle full of detail and colour. It’s very spiritual . . . it’s just not porn at all,” she said, adding she has “a strong feminist interest” in mind when creating her art.
The exhibit will remain in place until July 24.