Police raids in Sydney, Drama Queens at Art Basel

Image courtesy Crikey.com.au

International artwatchers have been aghast at the shenanigans in Soudan Lane (Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery) in Sydney and other locations in Australia, including Canberra's National Gallery of Australia (NGA), where a large number of works by Bill Henson (some in the collection for 20 years or more) have been 'seized' by police and impounded on the premises, pending further investigations. Sydney hasn't had such a 'grande scandale d'art' since the hogs ate momma, as they say in Texas. Or perhaps Australia's Ern Malley affiar?

We won't bother to go into the specifics, which have been exhaustively documented, except to say that Bill Henson is a very interesting artist, perhaps the more important for provoking the debate Australia is now having with itself, and as usual failing (as a society) to face the ghastly truth - that child abuse is the dark underbelly of Australian suburbia, and the family is where it largely occurs. Oh, and yes, there ARE unpleasant predators out there, and it's very naive and possibly criminally negligent to put such images on the net.

Roslyn and Tony Oxley have emerged from their gothic mansion (LF likes to imagine a scene from 'The Fall of the House of Usher') and flown out, and are no doubt relived to be breathing the pure, clean, enlightened air of Switzerland, and enduring the social excitement of being the subject of "ongoing investigations" by the authorities. Henson's work is slated to appear as part of the Roslyn Oxley9 'stand' among the commercial galleries, and there will no doubt be a phalanx of press there, keen to see whether not only are we producing porn, but EXPORTING it!

What a hoot! What an international embarrassment! Quel Grand Cringe! (pronounced Crraaainnje)
It shrivels the soul, yet thrills it with a delicious sense of outrage.

For a good blow-by-blow account of the unfolding drama see The Art Life: http://artlife.blogspot.com/

The image above is by an unknown humorist, accompanying an article by Alex Mitchell: "Bringing down Henson: Police, politicians and pester power join forces" on Crikey.com.au
For the full article: http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20080530-How-police-politics-and-pester-power-combined-to-bring-down-Bill-Henson.html

Finally, watch out for the performance 'Drama Queens' by artists Michael Elmgreen (Denmark) and Ingar Dragset (Norway) as part of the 'Art on Stage' program at Art Basel.

Art | 39 | Basel
Messe Basel, Messeplatz, Basel, Switzerland
Wednesday, June 4, to Sunday, June 8, 2008.
Daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Media Reception
Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 10 a.m, Hall 1 (Art Unlimited)

From the Press Kit:
Art Basel's Show Management will be in attendance, as will the members of the Art Basel selection committee. All will be happy to provide information and give interviews from 10.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The vernissage for invited guests and the media (admitted upon presentation of the press ticket) takes place that evening from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The 39th edition of Art Basel takes place in the museum- rich city of Basel (Switzerland) from June 4 through June 8, 2008. As the world’s premier art show, Art Basel is the annual meeting place of the international art world. This year’s 300 exhibiting galleries from all over the world were selected out of a record number of over 1,000 applications and will be showing works by over 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Art Unlimited hall, with its 60 large- scale projects, and Art Basel Conversations, featuring internationally respected panelists, represent further highlights.

The Art on Stage platform (presented in association with the Theater Basel) will provide the framework for the performance Drama Queens by artists Michael Elmgreen (Denmark) and Ingar Dragset (Norway). The local museums also have fascinating exhibitions (including Chaim Soutine, Andrea Zittel, Monika Sosnowska, and Fernand Léger) and a broad range of events in store.

Over 300 of the world’s leading galleries will be exhibiting at Art Basel (for a list of exhibitors, go to www.artbasel.com/go/id/elg/)

See you 'on the floor'. Or not. Hmmmm...
Groses bises cheries.