SignintotheGuardianusingyourFacebookaccount

Search

DoesJapaneseShungaturn pornintoart?
ABritishMuseumexhibitionraisesimportant questionsaboutthejuncturebetweenartandfree speech,someofwhichareuniquetoourdigital age
FollowGuardianCommentNetworkbyemail
BETA

KatieEngelhartforFreeSpeechDebate,partoftheGuardianCommentNetwork theguardian.com,Saturday21December201311.01GMT

AhandcolouredwoodblockprintbyNishikawaSukenobu,c.171116.Photograph:BritishMuseum

Neartheentrancetotheexhibition,amediumsizedimagedepictsa Japanesewomaninloose,sensuousclothingthatpartstoreveala

cheekyflashofpaleleg.Otherpaintingsleavelesstotheimagination; theyarerepletewithpubichairandsextoysandgravitationally implausiblescenesofcoitus.Oneshowsanunwithashavedhead havingsexwithapriestwhoishiddeninalargebag.Anothershowsa groupofmenengagedina"phalliccompetition",theirgigantic, exaggeratedpenisesrestingontablesandkickstands.Athirdshowsa womanbeingpleasuredbytwooctopuses. Ifthesewerephotographs,theywouldbehiddenawayonthetop shelfatsomeseedycornerstore.Instead,theyarepaintingsand theyareondisplayatLondon'sesteemedBritishMuseum.Visitors under16yearsoldmustbeaccompaniedbyanadult.What'scertain isthatthisongoingexhibitionShunga:SexandPleasureinJapanese Artraisesimportantquestionsaboutthejuncturebetweenartand freespeech,someofwhichareuniquetoourdigitalage. "Shunga",whichtranslatesto"springpictures,"wasapopular Japanesepaintingstyleforhundredsofyears.Inthewordsofthe exhibitioncuratorTimothyClark,Shunga"celebratesthepleasuresof lovemaking,inbeautifulpicturesthatpresentmutualattractionand sexualdesireasnaturalandunaffected."Often,Shungapaintingsare humorous;sometimes,theyaresubversivegentlypokingfunatthe culturalandaestheticmoresoftheirtime. ThoughofficiallybannedbytheJapanesegovernmentin1722, Shungacontinuedtobeproducedandwasoftencommissionedby wealthypatrons.Shungapaintingswerepassedaroundthrough lendinglibraries,orgiftedtoloversandspouses.Theywerealsoused assexeducationfornewlymarriedcouples.Thepaintingsare certainlyexplicit.Anderotic.Butaretheyalsopornography,which mightplacelegallimitsontheirdistributionandaudience?Ifthey arepornography,couldtheybeconsideredobsceneapointoflegal importance?

Britishlawishazyonthequestionofobscenity;followingalandmark judicialruling,pornographicmaterialisconsidered"obscene"ifithas "atendencytodepraveandcorrupt"itsaudience.Someorganisations, likeBritain'sCampaignAgainstCensorship,havecalledforthe creationofastatutorydefenseof"artisticmerit",whichartistscould relyonifaccusedofobscenity.Astotheissueof'art'versus 'pornography,'onemightrecalltheAmericanSupremeCourtJustice PotterStewartwho,in1964,famouslydeclared,ofpornography,"I knowitwhenIseeit." Assumingthatweshouldbeabletoformulateamorecoherent definition,letusbreakthequestiondown:doesitmatterthatthese arepaintingsasopposedtophotographs?Or:doesthefactthat thesearepaintingsimmediatelyimplythatShungaisart,ratherthan pornography?Thisseemsanoverlysimplifieddistinction,especially inthedigitalage:whenPhotoshopanddigitaleditingcanturnonce "real"imagesintoartisticfictionandgraphicdesigntoolscanbuild realisticlookingpicturesfromdigitalscratch.Doesartist'sintent matter?Doesprovenance?Somewhoareeagertolocatetheart/porn faultlinestresstheimportanceofartist'sintent.Ifanimageismeant toelicitarousal,it'sporn;ifnot,itisart.Otherslooktoprovenance. Weretheimagesproducedbyanartistoranamateur?Werethey commissionedbyagallery,orthrownuponFacebook? Thismethodalsoseemsflawednotleastbecausewecan'talways knowanartist'sintent,andbecausewhatisarousingtooneperson canbehorrorinducingtothenext.Thatwould,byextension,mean thatsomethingcanbeartwhenviewedbyonepersonandpornwhen viewedbyanother.Furthermore,afocusonprovenanceandintent leavestheart/porncategorisationuptogalleryownersandcurators andotherinstitutional"authorities"whoareunlikelytoagree anyway.Besides,Shungawasmeantbothtoarouseandtoeducate. Sowherewoulditfall?Isthedefinitionfluidaproductofplaceand

time? ShungafirstmadeitswaytoEnglandintheearly1600s,viathe EnglishEastIndiaCompanybutwhenthephotossurfacedin London,outragedcompanyofficialssetthemablaze.InEurope, explainsShungacuratorClark,"sinceatleasttheRenaissance prevailingreligiousandsocialbanshavemadeitwellnighimpossible forleadingartiststoproduceworksthatareexplicitlyerotic." Ifweallowthatmoralityandaestheticsarebothshapedbyculture, andnotuniversalandconstant,thanisitpossiblethatShungacanbe atonceartinJapanandporninEngland? Iam,oddlyenough,remindedofaninterviewwithCooperHefner, the21yearoldsonofPlayboyfounderHughHefner.Playboyisart, notporn,theyoungerHefnerrecentlyinsisted:"Ifyouconsider Playboypornography,thenyouconsideranyphotoofanudewoman ormanpornography."IsitpossiblethatHefnerJrhitonavalid point?Playboywasbrashandboldandwhollypornographicinits time;buttodayitsstillshotsoftoplessblondsseemratherquaint.Is itpossiblethatthesameimagewasporninthe1950sandisart today?Takenfurther,coulditbethatthereexistssomefuzzyline (say,around"orgy"or"fellatio"or"sextoy")beyondwhicheroticart becomesporn?Anddoesthatlinemove?Doesintensityofthe subjectmatter? What'snotableaboutShungaisthatallitssubjectsmenand women(nottomentionoctopi)seemtoequallyenjoytheirsexual adventures.Inthisway,Shungaappearsincrediblyprogressiveforits time.Womenenjoyingsex!And,sometimes,witheachother!This progressivenessmakestheexhibitallthemorepalatabletotoday's audience.Butlet'simagineadifferentscenario.Whatifthedrawings depictedchildrenengagedinsexualacts?Orrape?Orsubjects expressingpainandfear?Wouldthatchangethings?Wouldthose

imagesbeenoughtoincite"depravity"?Wouldandshouldthatlead ustoplacerestrictionsonwhocanviewthepaintings? Thestateofthegameseemstobethis:producersandcuratorsdecide whatisartandwhatisporn,whatiserotic,andwhatisobscene. Unsatisfactorily,it'splausiblethatShungaisartpreciselybecauseit isdisplayedonthewallsoftheBritishMuseum.Ingeneral,thevery ideathatthereexistsalinebetween"art"and"porn",between"art" and"obscenity",seemsinherentlyflawed."Inthewest,wehave createdastateofaffairswheretherehastobeafirewallbetweenart andpornography,"musescuratorClark."ButShungaisbothsexually explicitanddemonstrablyart." Shunga:SexandPleasureinJapaneseArtcontinuesattheBritish Museum,Londonuntil5January2014
MorefromtheGuardian
What'sthis?

JackMonroe'sreadymealchallenge07Jan2014 Theyoungpeoplefailedbysociety'styrannyofthenorm 02Jan2014 How(not)...tobeadomesticgoddess03Jan2014 ThemythofanundividedJerusalemiscollapsingunder itsownweight08Jan2014

Morefromaroundthe web
RekindlingRomancewithCommunication (Dummies.com)

What'sthis?

TrueLove:5WaystoBuildandMaintainRelationships

ThreeReasonsMenShouldReadLeanInNilofer MerchantHarvardBusinessReview(Harvard BusinessReviewBlogs)

Whydoestheleftignorethetrueprogressivepartythe NeoliberalDiscourseWhatWeNeedToLearn(Social Greens?06Jan2014 EuropeJournal) YoureaCheat:Your(Wide)FaceGaveYouAway (PacificStandardMagazine) RodgerKamenetzWillExplainYourDreams(Tablet Magazine)

2014GuardianNewsandMediaLimitedoritsaffiliatedcompanies.Allrightsreserved.