Indecent Sculpture For The Sake of The Elderly
Reverence for the elderly is as much a part of Chinese culture as dancing dragons, the color red and sesame noodles. Respect for wisdom and experience as it is passed from one generation to another is not only polite and civilized it is also politically correct and the right thing to do, for lack of better terms.
It is therefore, quite amazing that out of this cultural amalgam of thought there comes this statue depicted above erected on Zhongyin Road in Guilin city at the behest of the Guangyuan International Community.
Entitled, Helping The Elderly, the sculpture consists of two naked women carrying a naked man, with the description underneath reading: Wife on the left, daughter-in-law on the right, the moral is of family harmony, harmonious coexistence, supporting each other, respecting and loving the elderly.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words but this lewd sculpture evoked many thousands of heated words on blogs and online forums.
Opinions ranged from those who claimed the sculpture is too avant-garde for true understanding to others who either felt it should be taken down immediately or at least ignored and not taken too seriously.
Most commentators agree that if the man’s genitals hadn’t been carved so prominently, opinions might have been very different.
Some might ponder whether or not one has to be naked in order to help the elderly.
Whatever the sculptor’s cryptic message to the viewer, art as always is in the eye of the beholder and has its own way of affecting consciousness, even if we have no idea what the artist is trying to tell us.
Here’s to art and…some clothes for the colder days!
(Link)
By MDeeDubroff on 25-04-2011
