Picture of the Day
This is some of the more than 50 masks based on the face of Elephant Man John Merrick made by British artist James Green and exhibited at the Exchange gallery.
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raincoaster 
Does he have a sister?
Well, you could always date somebody plain and make her wear one of those masks. Kinky!
What a sick thing to do, is this some kind of new fangled treatment programme? Was James Green an inmate of some prison? I suppose papier mache is cheaper than Prozac.
Huh? I’m getting a totally different vibe from these. They seem very positive and creative, expressing the idea that the normal human face is not necessarily the most beautiful of all possible physical forms.
What do they seem to mean to you?
They seem to be making entertainment out of an unfortunate persons sickness and disability.
Trying to find a comparison, how would you feel about a person putting make-up on to resemble a hair lip or would you find a ‘grass skirt’ of thalidamide limbs appealing and fun or worthwhile art? I suppose art is subjective and your question is the most pertinent; ‘what does it mean to you?’
I don’t think art is subjective, but certainly our impressions of it are.
You’ve seen masks based on an ordinary human face, painted bright colours and in distorted shapes. Why is THIS offensive and THAT not? I believe that neither is; they’re both riffing on the natural form and using it as a jumping-off spot to re-imagining the human face.
I think art is subjective – what is a pile of bricks to one is art worth thousands to another. My opinion, which seems to be shared by many here, is that those who compete for the Turner prize year on year are merely purveyors of sensationalist rubbish pretending to be art.
The Turner prize is highly gamed; I don’t think any objective observer would say it’s truly merit-based. Maybe even the judges wouldn’t make that claim. But Whatsisname, the crystal skull guy, Damien Hurst, he’s a genius.
I think they’re beautiful.
. . . tragically beautiful.
~m
I know a young woman who has neurofibromatosis and who has endured surgery after surgery. When I saw this post I immediately thought of her and I felt sick to my stomach. I’m with Philipa on this.
Well, we will have to agree to disagree. The masks to me raise the question of what’s so beautiful about a normal human face, and send quite a different message than the one you seem to be getting from it. To examine a disability is not necessarily to mock it.