Bill Hensen banned photographer live address now

they're probably not afraid of their kids committing murder, but rather having sex, which is a valid concern. they should be looking at henson's work and discussing it like adults, not trying to censor it.
 
Well, here's a link to today's news.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/bill-henson-defends-child-models/story-e6frg6nf-1225900285714>
 
Leigh Youdale said:
jmilkins said:
Controversial photographer Bill Henson will face a public question-and-answer session tonight for the first time since he was vilified as a child pornographer for his use of underage models in a 2008 exhibition.

I think the title of the thread (not the content) is perhaps unfortunate. Bill was not "banned". His pictures were removed from an exhibition. The really contentious one by the gallery owners and then the rest were "taken into custody" by local plods acting under political pressure.
Hensen then self-imposed a halt to the exhibiting of his photographs for a while.
From what I've heard and read he seems a very artistic type, very sensitive, a bit naive, and maybe just a little bit too taken up with his type and style of art to realise he's at risk of offending influential sections of society. I mean, that's what artists often do, but he shouldn't be surprised when it happens.
Is he weird? I don't know- odd perhaps. Probably no more weird than a lot of people who don't come under public scrutiny and wobble through life somehow. Is he a pedophile? I don't know, but I don't think so. Maybe "odd" would be a better description. Where's the crossover point between "he is" and "he isn't"?
But I'd say this - after the furore that was created over his photographs, and after the police were embarrassed that they couldn't make a case to lay charges, you can bet there's some sort of surveillance going on. If he is, they'll find out. They have a good track record of busting some significant child pornography rings in this part of the world and internationally too.
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Thanks for the clarification Leigh. Sure I could retitle or edit the thread & cut and paste paragraph from the paper to correct the erroneous impression it might give. And my misspelling of Mr Henson's name. But your correction does this anyway.

Truth is the live live broadcast (which will be available on the web soon I gather from the introduction) was about to start so I dumped the link to RFF for anyone else who might be interested and went to watch. Bill addresses some of the points you raise and thinks he might have made an "error of judgement" at the same time as noting that art through the ages has always to pushed the boundaries.

Whether the media got this argument or just want to continue the shock value to sell more papers is another question.
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minor correction

minor correction

Leigh,

The young lady that fronted the media not long after the Henson sh!t storm started was Polixeni Papapetrou's daughter, in response to Art Monthly's cover. The young girl fronted the tv cameras at the front gate of the family home with dad hovering in the background.

As far as I am aware the subject of Henson's formerly controversial show went to ground when it was all happening and never once appeared in the media (she was tracked down, but the journo agreed to back off).

For everyone else, David Marr wrote a short, solid essay on the debacle. It does not pull many punches. The Henson Case (isbn 978-1-921520-03-7).

D.
 
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