Absolute Freedom In Art

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Art is the product of human creativity and expression. In the prehistoric era, cavemen painted the walls of caves to communicate and tell a story. In the modern day, art is more abstract and conceptual. However, the fundamental purpose of art is still to communicate. Today's art may breed controversy as questions such as, ‘What is Art?’ or ‘Does the artist have the right to say this?’ arise more and more. This controversy is created as an artist’s artwork expresses certain beliefs towards different aspects of life. These artists are now also able to reach a global audience to share their art and communicate ideas. This suggests that the issue of whether to give artists absolute freedom to express ideas is relevant as the trend of contemporary …show more content…

Absolute freedom gives the artist a chance to create his or her work without the restriction of laws. The artist can abuse his or her power through the method or medium that is used to create the artwork. For example, an artist may use child laborers to create the work, murder someone to attain materials for the work, or apply animal cruelty in the creation of the work. An example of this would be an installation by Guillermo Vargas. Vargas is a Costa Rican artist who created an artwork called Exposición N° 1 in August 2007 in Nicaragua. The artwork featured on an emaciated dog tied to a wall by a length of a rope with “Eres Lo Que Lees” ("You Are What You Read") written on the wall in dog food. Vargas wanted to invoke the public’s reaction to the work. The public reacted with an online petition to take the installation out of the exhibition with over four million signatures. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) investigated the exhibit and ensured that no animal should be abused in the 2008 Biennale Centro American in Honduras. Guillermo Vargas deliberately caused in humane suffering. He used unethical methods to create his artwork. This shows that if absolute freedom would be given to artists, there will be no restriction on the creation of these works and no one will be allowed to prevent the exhibiting of the

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