From Chinese Press

It's best to leave some arts alone

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-13 10:40

Interaction between art and society is as old as civilization, but the relation between avant-garde art and society seems to be rather tense today. Perhaps society should be more tolerant and patient with avant-garde artists. In return, artists should respect universal social ethics and principles, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Artists have the right to pursue the art form they want. But they should be careful not to disturb other people with what they do.

For instance, in 2006 a poet was detained for 10 days because he read his poems without any clothes on at a bookshop. A girl, who worked as a nude model for her artist father, too, sparked a heated public debate.

Some art, especially installation and "live art", is beyond ordinary people's apprehension. "Pioneering" artists would naturally defend the art form they pursue from the perspective of art.

But experts on moral philosophy would like to give them a friendly reminder that if a certain avant-garde artist's behavior triggers negative public reaction, people would become more prejudiced against them instead of developing aesthetic appreciation for new forms of art.

Our treatment of arts depends on what kind of feelings they evoke in us. While creating a work of art, artists should think, and think deeply, whether their creation has broken the ethical bottom line instead of merely creating a sensational effect.

Though art originated from instinct and has succeeded on impulse, some art forms are so experimental and individual that they deserve to be private, not to be made public.

In fact, leading such experimental art forms into ordinary life has nothing to do with enlightenment. On the contrary, it would offend other people.