Art News

Reporter Ash Parrish writes on the Verge website:

In the aftermath of itch.io pulling the sale of over 20,000 pages of adult content , the creators of that work are left feeling betrayed, exhausted, and fearful. The number of platforms that permit the sale of adult material is shrinking, and theres no guarantee the ones that remain will still permit it in the future.

To some creators, the most disheartening thing about itch.io removing thousands of pages of adult content is that its relatively unsurprising. The storefront is one of several in recent years that have embraced adult content only to shun it later when payment processors start asking questions. They've now found themselves booted from platform to platform, moving from Tumblr to Patreon to Gumroad, only to have the rug pulled out from under them each time.

But now, with their livelihoods at stake, many creators and their communities have begun to push back and search for new ways to thrive.

PixelJail, a creator who makes BDSM and other kink-related comics and illustration, has now opted to set up their own websites. But even without the burden of conforming to a platforms rules, having ones own website isnt a guarantee of absolute safety. In the UK, where PixelJail lives, the recently implemented Online Safety Act requires that online platforms have strong age checks in place to prevent children from accessing pornographic or harmful content.

When adult creators are regularly forced to find new places for their work, their business overall suffers. I can never get ahead, said PixelJail, a creator who makes BDSM and other kink-related comics and illustrations. I have to stop doing paid work to set up new accounts, backlog posting, pay for new subscriptions or services and other administrative tasks. I had to geoblock my websites in the UK, including my webstore, PixelJail said, meaning they no longer sell their work in their own country

See the full article from theverge.com

A display at The Curve Gallery in London's Barbican Centre will be taken down in the wake of a censorship row after Barbican staff asked a speaker to avoid the topic of free Palestine at a recent talk. The art display is from the Resolve Collective group.

In an Instagram post, the collective said it was cancelling the display because of an act of anti-Palestinian censorship. The decision partly stemmed from the cancellation of a talk on 15 June between the Egyptian researcher Nihal El Assar and Elias Anastas, the co-founder of the Palestinian radio station, Radio Alhara. The livestreamed discussion on the radical possibilities of radio was part of Resolve Collective's them's the breaks series of programmed events.

Shortly before the event was due to begin, the Barbican shared an editorial note with the speaker asking him to avoid spending too much time discussing free Palestine. The Barbican then clams that a 'technical failure' brought the event to an abrupt close.

A few Christians have slammed a plan to erect a statue of an Amazonian love god near a cathedral as offensive and an insult.

A 6ft 2in bronze figure is being paid for by taxpayers as part of a £1million trail of five sculptures through the centre of Wakefield, West Yorkshire. According to its creator, artist Jason Wilsher-Mills, the sculpture was inspired by a painting of local Victorian conservationist Charles Waterton capturing a caiman or alligator-type creature, the love story of his parents and his own connections with Wakefield.

But a planning application to site the pagan statue on Cathedral Walk, close to the Anglican cathedral's main entrance, has prompted more than 60 complaints from members of the public. One objector commented:

How can you possibly think that the erection of a Sun God opposite the central place of Christian worship in the city and district could be acceptable?

It is at best insensitive and at worst a deliberate attempt to mock Christianity, the cathedral and all it stands for. Is this a precedent?

Should we expect the council to place such offensive statues outside other local centres of worship, Christian and otherwise?

The project is being fully funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. If planning consent is granted the sculptures will be in place this summer.

The National Gallery has removed a picture from an upcoming major exhibition from its website over claims of antisemitic portrayal of Jews.

Albrecht Dürer's Christ Among the Doctors from 1509 depicts a story from the Gospel according to Luke of Jesus on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover, alongside a caricature of Jewish men from the synagogue.

The National Gallery had initially displayed the artwork prominently on its website advertising the upcoming exhibition without mentioning its portrayal of Jews. After the gallery was alerted to the fact by Jewish News reader Ralph Harris, it removed the picture online and highlighted the antisemitic representation in its gallery. A spokesperson said:

We are aware that the representation of the Doctors may cause offence and both the wall texts and the audio guide in the exhibition will acknowledge and address caricature and antisemitic portrayal in the painting.

We have removed the image and accompanying text from our online gallery of selected exhibited works as we felt that in this format there was not adequate space for the interpretation required for this work.