A Celebration of Disney Orgies and Bloodbaths

Planning to be in the Lower East Side between now and December 6th? If so, be sure to check out Illegal Art: Freedom of Expression in the Corporate Age, an exhibit celebrating fine art and musical creativity based on borrowed materials.

The show -- which features "murdered Disney characters, the Colonel Sanders mandala, a Texaco-laced doily, and more" -- reminds us that, had Warhol been born 30 years later, his Campbell's soup cans might never have seen a museum wall.

Recent legislation (such as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act and the DMCA) has fueled corporate litigiousness against any unauthorized use of copyrighted material, even when done with clearly artistic (and often quite hilarious) intentions.

The chilling result has been a gradual silencing of artists powerless to defend their work. Even a legal victory with the help of pro bono attorneys (as artist Tom Forsythe and others might attest) is just a temporary one until the inevitable judgment appeal.

An article in NJ.com's Star-Ledger reports that Brewster Kahle (now legendary for his contributions to the IP debate via projects such as The Internet Archive and the Eldred v. Ashcroft-inspired Internet Archive Bookmobile) helped finance the exhibit with a $40k contribution. Other sponsors include Stay Free! magazine, Prelinger Archives, and NYU's Center for Media, Culture and History.

[A fun sidebar note: Stay Free! offers subscriptions at the following rates: "$10 for three issues (or $19 if you work in the ad industry.). Bulk copies are free to schools and worthwhile nonprofit groups."]

If you can't make the NYC venue, "Illegal Art" will be in Chicago from January 25 - February 21, at 2040 N. Milwaukee.

Posted by Maggie Law at November 24, 2002 02:54 PM