Yinka Shonibare

No Art Censorship in Bern Museums

Filed under: Events, Art

Last November, an 11-second clip of ants crawling over a crucifix in a four-minute video by artist David Wojnarowicz was attacked as blasphemous and removed from the Smithsonian Museum's National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Imagine what those same critics would say about a terrific show in Bern, Switzerland, called "Lust and Vice: The 7 Deadly Sins from Dürer to Nauman." The show is jointly organized by the Art Museum of Bern and the Zentrum Paul Klee, a multi-function glass and steel space by Renzo Piano. Located a short bus ride from the city center, it resembles three rolling hills. In the "hill" that houses Lust, Sloth, and Gluttony, a very conspicuous sign advises visitors the show "is not suitable for adolescents." The art museum, which is located in the city center, presents Pride, Envy, Anger, and Avarice.

Tags: Andreas Gursky, art, art museum, art museum bern, Bern, Cardinal sins, Cindy Sherman, switzerland, Yinka Shonibare, Zentrum Paul Klee

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Massive Ship In A Bottle On Display In London

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Shown above is no ordinary ship in a bottle, it's an eight-foot tall replica of the HMS Victory that will spend the next 18 months on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London. Nelson's Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare shows the HMS Victory with 37 textile sails made of African and batik prints. The replica commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar and the 50th anniversary of Nigerian independence. Shonibare was raised in Nigeria. In a piece in BBC News, Shonibare said that the use of the textiles from various regions symbolize "London's immense ethnic wealth."

Tags: hms victory, london, ship in a bottle, trafalgar square, yinka shonibare