Posted on 02/05/2004 10:52:45 AM PST by wallcrawlr
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The photograph confronts anyone walking through the lobby of Lehigh University's humanities building: A man who could be President Bush's identical twin smirks for the camera, his left hand touching a woman in a negligee.
The 4-foot-by-4-foot image, part of a satirical exhibit by internationally renowned photographer Larry Fink, has upset student conservatives who see it as evidence of a liberal bias on campus.
``My first impression was tasteless, absolutely tasteless. The picture of the president borders on slanderous,'' said David Hauptmann, 22, a senior international relations major.
The exhibit's curator, Ricardo Viera, makes no apologies, saying it is meant to promote discussion. ``Universities are a forum for diverse ideas and intellectual challenges,'' he said.
In an essay accompanying the exhibit, called ``The Forbidden Pictures, A Political Tableau,'' Fink makes clear the target of his satire. He says the 2000 presidential election was stolen, criticizes the ``fundamentalist neoconservative conspiracy'' and calls Bush a ``frat boy with charisma.''
Fink told The Associated Press the woman in the lobby photograph, whose breast is cupped by the presidential lookalike, can be seen as a metaphor for the entire world.
``I think that would be appropriate for what we were doing in our foreign policy: Groping without any good understanding of what we were doing and taking advantage of our imperious power,'' he said.
College Republicans President Neal Hoffman said Fink has a right to speak his mind, but he complained the exhibit should have been installed in a campus art gallery, not the building that houses the officially nonpartisan political science department.
He said that while Lehigh is not as liberal as many college campuses, the Fink exhibit only reinforces the perception that conservative viewpoints are ignored at Lehigh, he said.
``It clearly favors an anti-Bush ideology in a department that supposedly is about the nonpartisan study of politics,'' said Hoffman, 20, a sophomore political science major.
A university spokesman said the exhibit is not associated with the political science department. Numerous academic disciplines are headquartered in Maginnes Hall, and art exhibits are rotated in and out of the building's lobby, Andrew Stanten said.
On Tuesday, a steady stream of students made their way from one photo to the next, pausing at each one. Most said they weren't offended by the images.
``So many people are afraid to criticize the president. It's great to live in a society where there are alternate views,'' said Joshua Glass, 21, a senior political science major.
Fink, 63, has built a 40-year career as a documentary photographer, aiming his lens at amateur boxers, jazz musicians, beatniks and children. He decided he wanted to lampoon the president shortly after Bush took office.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Hey, this is actually an improvement. They are now admitting Bush has charisma. I guess they got tired of comparing him to a chimp.
I am sure the same curator would have said this about an exhibit making fun of Martin Luther King or even Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. Heck, if anyone even made art that made a statement against affirmative action, it would be banned as quickly as if it had urged reinstatement of slavery.
Tinfoil!
Yeah, so anyway, like we need any more convincing college "campi" are biased? LOL Although, this is a pretty stark example, I must admit.
The irony is lost on pukes like this.
Hmmmm...meaning the entire world is a half-time show?
This report would be much better if this Fink guy was given an NEA grant.
How about a statue of The Stainman with an erection; in his pants of course, and holding a cigar.
Yeah, it's meant to "promote discussion" just like Janet Jackson's stint on Sunday afternoon. Same concept all over again.
You betcha Josh, and congratulations for having the courage to think just like everyone else.
That said, they should quit their b!tchin' - art will be the last bastion of the Politically Correct as long as there are self-absorbed artists, the latter being a redundancy.
Anybody that has visited Las Vegas has been subjected to the relentless porno cards.
Last time in Vegas, I visited the Madame Tousseaus Wax Museum, and put one of those porn cards in W's left breast pocket.
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