Opening tonight at the elegant Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in the heart of Paddington is an exhibition of photographs by Bill Henson, featuring naked 12 and 13 year-olds….
Such images presenting children in sexual contexts are so commonplace these days they seem almost to have lost the capacity to shock.
The effort over many decades by various groups – artists, perverts, academics, libertarians, the media and advertising industries, respectable corporations and the porn industry – to smash taboos of previous generations and define down community standards, has successfully eroded the special protection once afforded childhood.
I will consider posting comments on this article submitted first by email to Kendall’s E-mail: KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.
From C.W.:
Two things:
Would not this be patently illegal in the US?
It’s interesting to note the composition of the two sides: artists, perverts, academics, libertarians, the media and advertising industries, respectable corporations and the porn industry on one and concerned parents on the other. Given that the former group has much at stake materially (their livelihood in some cases), and the latter has basically none, who do you think has their heart in the right place?