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EV+A: There is always one fecker to stir the shit

Year in, year out, there is one “artist” who is aiming for shock value. What would a Limerick art exhibition be without some reference to thuggery or violence, right?

And the EV+A “controversial artist of 2008″ award goes to Alan Bulfin.

Even those with backgrounds in EV+A can’t agree on this piece of art’s validity. Founder member of EV+A Kate Hennessey has described Bulfin’s five minute short film “Killing Hur” as “nothing more than a simulated snuff video.” She also claimed that it wouldn’t last very long were it to be uploaded to YouTube. But Paul O’Reilly, EV+A administrator disagrees, calling it a biting ironic comment on our current culture.

Given the brief synopses of it in the Leader this evening, one can see why the film is likely to upset.

The work is a mobile phone video showing a 12 year old girl who has a bag put over her head by a man and is then lifted bodily towards a house. But then a red van drives over her. In the second scene, liquid is poured over her and screams are heard as a man sets fire to her. Then a blanket is thrown on her as three men dance on her. The final scene shows the girl sitting at a table opposite the man, and a red hatchet lies between them. The man grabs the girl while another man gags her with a blanket, pushing her to the ground. Then, still screaming, she is attacked by the man with the hatchet, as blood flows and screaming continues.

Ms Hennessey is not amused by the film though, claiming that 176 women and girls have been murdered in the country over the last two years, and wanted to know how much taxpayers money was spent bringing this year’s curator of the exhibition Hou Hanru from China to “pick this stuff.

The film is due to be screened at the Beltable Arts Centre

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm and is filed under All. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • Seamus Ryan
    It's been shown downstairs in the Hunt Museum as part of the LSAD show for the past month or so. I didn't see it (odd, as I went to see the exhibition) but I just got told it was really crappy anyway.

    Maybe the curator didn't have to spend any more than a few calories walking to the Hunt or the LSAD, which wouldn't have cost the taxpayer anything.
  • I actually wrote my reply in a hurry and the questionability of that figure didn't even enter my mind... I was concentrating too much on my other point!
  • Duchamp signed a Urinal and called it redymade art and was famous for it, that is valaded because its older, why wouldnt a movie made by a contempory artist be considered art just because it has some content that is uncomfortable to watch?

    "produced for the titillation of voyeuristic saddos." hehe who is being High Brow now? hehe ;)

    I agree though with both Muchy and ann, im in art college for gods sake im not stupid I know a whole ton of stuff done in there is 'High brow shyte' I dont like a lot of whats left through but I respect it as art, at the end of the day the content is at the descresion of the artist not the audience. I know exactly where your coming from when you say if you can bullshit ur on ur way, That is the god honest truth and it drives me mad at the best of times when I see work that I dont like and if I say so i get trottled for it!

    so im not disagreeing with anyone here im just holding the discussion, like I said I havent seen this particular vid so I cant judge either way but I have seen alans work before and it has held true to his artistic statment... thats all im saying!

    I never promote my own work as anything more that photographs because thats all they are, but im not saying you have to like them! :)
  • ann
    Most art is ''highbrow shite''.....if you can bullshit rather than actually draw then your on your waybelieve me i've seen it first hand .
  • mushy
    Calling a fake snuff movie art because of "the concept and statement reason behind it"really is a load of highbrow shite. What's enlightening or uplifting about watching that kind of crap? A sad case of the Emperor and his clothes for people who try to pretend it's anything other than rubbish produced for the titillation of voyeuristic saddos.
  • I agree Hoof, wether its "a crock of shit" or poorely excicuted tho is not the point, the concept and statment reason behind it is
  • Hoof
    Maybe Kate should be the one to go back to school.

    CSO figures say 138 people (total) murdered in 2006 & 2007. No breakdown sex wise (there is but I'd seen enough) even if we can assume 50/50 that's 69 of each.

    That's bad enough without need for such exaggeration Kate. If you don't like the piece just say so. Sounds like a crock of shit anyway.
  • pathfinder
    Maybe the girl hadn't done her homework and they were trying to teach her a lesson
  • Well i know alan, and I havent seen the video but his performance pieces have always had a proper and well thought out concept and reason for it, now again ill stress I havent seen the vid, but I have every faith in Alans work he did it to prove a point before and im sure this is also the case, has Alan given an artist statment to acompany the film? Im sure he has, and im sure people should read it before they think of excuses to slate his work!
  • Roisin
    Did Kate really say that 176 were murdered in past two years? I think that amount is actually for the past 10 years or thereabouts.

    Cupid, interesting that you accepted unquestioningly a statistic that would mean that a female was murdered in this country every four days? Now that really is a genuine 'biting ironic comment on our current culture'!
  • yeah yeah yeah some people are only happy when they have something to complain about

    "176 women and girls have been murdered in the country over the last two years"... so we shouldn't make any movies or use other art forms to depict this?

    Maybe we should ban anything to do with the two world wars. After all, lots of people were killed in them. Hold on, thousands of people were killed on 9/11. Let's not make any movies that have anything to do with terrorism.
  • Hugh
    Seems to just be trying to come across as violent for the sake of it. I'll have to see it before I make further judgment but so far it sounds like a poor play on stereotypes with gore added to try and stir it up.
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