The Manchester Mafia presents.......

The Manchester Mafia are once again bringing us The Manchester International Festival! Reuniting chums Hans Ulrich Obrist, Maxine Peake, Bjork, legendary Mancunian Damon Albarn, Peter Saville (no relation to Jimmy) and the oldest swinger in town Dave Haslem. All together again for another money spinning year.

Sometimes I Bloody Despair Of Photographers.....

 

You may have seen this story and image floating around social media. It's a tale of a painter who's used a photo he's seen as the starting point for a painting he's made. Photographer finds out gets pissed off and thinks "nice one I can make a quid I'll sue the fucker"  it goes to court. It's a bit like the Richard Prince type thing only this time the photographer wins. Art world is a bit miffed, freedom of artistic expression they cry, conservative photo world declares victory for copyright and the status quo. Anyway you can read the tale and common sense comment HERE

Now you may be thinking that I'm having a go at the photographer Katrijn Van Giel well I'm not. It's a strong portrait that's been appropriated by a well known successful artist so I understand their reaction, although in this case I think both the photographer and the law are acting daft. If it was one of my pictures and a top artist like Luc Tuymans decided to use one of my photos I would not only be chuffed to death but I would also milk it like fuck. Still Van Giel is quids in.

It's not a good decision for art though and the reaction from a lot of folk in the photography world just shows their plain ignorance and lack of understanding when it comes to issues being raised by contemporary art. This worries me (as far as photography goes but not like global warming or the new bus lane on the East Lancs Road) because it's some of the movers and shakers of the photography world who think this is a victory. 

I copied the below post from someone on facebook. I've not said who it is so I hope they won't sue me over copyright.

"You can see from my photos that I brave the elements to make them-I am up in the middle of the night, or early morning- or outside in the very cold. They are my point of view- the way I see things - my work and the photographs are the end result, unless I want to do something else with them. I am always talking about how much I resent painters saying they want to paint my photograph. I think painters should find their own subject matter- and go out and take photos if they use photos as inspiration. I think, I can paint my own photograph, but other's should not. I get testy. Of course I have no control when I post them. The choice seems to be that my photographs get seen every few years in a gallery setting, and they are seen no where else, or I post them online, and obviously, I chose to post them. It is, to me, a question of morals, integrity and originality
http://hyperallergic.com/176138/luc-tuymans-convicted-of-plagiarism-for-painting-photo-of-politician/"

PS I just saw this! https://www.lensculture.com/articles/katerina-belkina-paint-a-series-of-photographic-self-portraits

Unlike Most of The British Press It's Viz Who are really Je Suis Charlie.

http://viz.co.uk/curtains-al-qaida/

This is where the

picture would normally

go, but I'm not contaminating

my blog with this shit.

How far would you go to get the picture? would you be prepared to do anything? How confident and sure of your power as a visual artist to foster change are you? Would you pay the mother of a murdered child money to dig up the mutilated corpse of that child so you could get a piccy let's say? Think I've gone mad? Oh shit like this happens.... Thanks to Benjamin for getting hold of this story and taking the fucker to task. The 'chattering class' blogs can debate the virtue and wisdom of such behaviour. I don't go in for all that, I mulled things over for about two seconds and decided Marco Vernaschi is a cunt.

And so it starts..........

Have I!

MANCHESTER CONFIDENTIAL are interviewing Sir Richard Leese and asking if anyone has any questions for him. MANCHESTER CONFIDENTIAL are so far up his arse that the sound of those questions will surly be very muffled......... You could start by asking him why a load of people at URBIS are going to end up on the dole in the middle of a recession for a start off. No? I didn't think so........