[Rumori] Illegal Art appropriated

[Naked Rabbit]

On Tuesday, July 15, 2003, at 02:59 AM, Steev Hise wrote:

> Perhaps this stuff, at least the visual art side of it, isn't as
> dangerous as we like to think? Maybe once you hang "fine art"
> stuff in a major gallery (these days at least, not forgetting
> Warhol vs Campbell's, et al) it is de facto "safe", unlike
> more mass-produced, commodity culture like CDs and books and
> movies.
>
I used to worry about eventual calls from the Mouse about "Gimme the 
Mermaid" until this show.  Now I know the piece has been "canonized" by 
the legitimate art establishment.  It is invulnerable now!

I know that you lose the bad-boy art-terrorist-chic when you go "legit" 
like this, but for me, I never did this kind of work to be a rebel.  
The whole point to me is that recontextualizing and representing 
cultural products is a valid artistic expression, and should NOT be 
marginalized and criminalized.  I see the adoption of the show by 
SFMOMA as a step in the right direction.  I don't think "safe" is 
either bad, nor the issue at stake.