Rikki Kasso

Apologies, certainly- but these are some of the worst "typical" snapshots i have ever seen & there is no tension for me..



There are prostitutes all over the entire globe who are willing to be objectified for the money they may or may not need to survive..Usually they definately need the money & usually they are forced into becomeing sex workers.



You can see thousands upon millions of such candid photographs along with juxtapositions- all over the net, from Amsterdam, germany, Serbia, Russia- Thailand, Bali-..The US.You name it..



I think one of the latest- brilliant works, a film actually, that does well to "juxtapose"- the literal & the fantastical about sex workers, is the Film "Born into Brothels".



Creating truly "compelling emotional tension"..



What do you think?

i suppose different work hits different people in different manners. i saw the movie you spoke of, and almost fell asleep during it. it was a fine picture, but the tension came from the children factor, and nothing more (for me)

sex is treated very differently (as you may know) in japan. these are not prostitutes, and i dont get the sense of objectification that one might with 'pornographic' sets. i link them with araki's work for this reason.

Have you ever been to Japan?



I have-several times & some of my closest friends are Japanese. One of which i have been best friends with for 7 years.



During my visit on my walks alone i was approached to be a "female friend" it was horrible & there are cases of all women experiencing "touching" in public spaces in japan, by men. When this happened to me the first time i laughed- the second time? My skin crawled, Japan is one of my most favorite places in the world- but you better believe all female tourists who wish to travel alone, taking trains etc are warned about this.It's pretty rampant & pretty bad, here-



http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Japan/Tokyo_to/Tokyo-969164/Warnings_or_Dangers-Tokyo-People_to_Avoid-BR-1.html



It is well known that there is an abundance of "female friends" or prostitutes or escorts- by the thousands who work as escorts or prostitutes in Tokyo & Thailand- all over the world, many of whom have the AIDS virus.



Who ever heard of a complaining escort or prostitute? Or a european man living abroad admitting that he keeps company with prostitutes or escorts?



Foolish, anyone who thinks differently, or wishful thinking- "In some countries the legal status of prostitution may vary depending on the activity; in Japan, for example, vaginal prostitution is against the law and fellatio prostitution is legal (note that women who perform fellatio for money are not considered prostitutes in Japan)."



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution



Women in japan are asserting their independance greatly there right now & this is not, one of the ways the majority are asserting it.Maybe for some small few it is, but it's not the wisest way, that is for certain.



Refusing to live lives of the domestic- is one of these ways.



This imagery is not erotica- it is common- & can be seen by the thousands.



How do you know that these aren't prostitutes? Who are these women & what do they do in any case?



Are they photographers as well? Are they at university? What is their major? Are any of them artists? Musicians? Are any of them one of the better talents in Japan? Certainly their are better talents in japan like Chigusa Kotani?



A few very important links -



http://www.worldandi.com/public/1988/april/ar12.cfm



& Here this link & a quote from it-
http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/477/art.asp



The exhibition's title has two meanings, says curator Hiromi Kitazawa. "The image of girls is getting stronger, changing from being dreamy or feminine, so girls don't have to cry," she says. "[Asian] men think of girls as objects...so they can't cry because they are not alive but like dolls."



Until these faces & bodies have names & lives- i hate to dissapoint you, they are common tasteless photos of escorts & prostitutes taken by men who are hobbyists of such things, which as well are in the millions.



There are millions of young women & underage females who are either forced into such work or are drug addicts, or refuse to take a low paying job which would not supply them with the basic neccessities.


I certainly would not be able to take such photos of you- or most males in such positions for free. Would you allow such bad photos of yourself to be taken, your bottom to the camera, touching your testicles- for a bad photographer?So in other words, any man or women would have to be a little bit "nutty of fruity" to pose for free in pornographically influenced photography.I have seen plently of nudes, all shapes all sizes- & the best images are the ones of naked men & women playing & smiling & having a fabulous time being naked.No stage, no bed no set up- usually out in the woods in the mud, running into a river, kissing & talking, in the ocean- in the sun. Not on all fours on a dirty bed with porn- photo emblazened pillow cases-( did you see those?)stroking the bladder & looking morose."Yeck" so not a turn on, or art-rather, depressing.


There are very very - very- few actually good- decent erotica photos.

There are few talents who can pull a decent one off, especially photographers who don't expect their sitters to be fondeling their genitals, or even to be nude, in some rare cases- now that is truly impressive.


It always--comes at a price-- & also with whatever drugs these woman are addicted to.Or lifestyle.& the demand is huge, as men love to take photos of women in sexually receptive photos.Supply= demand.

These photos are just, bad. It's not art,to call it art is laughable.

& my facts regarding the abundance of sex workers ( which i revealed above aren't considered "prostitutes" as they & you stated?)

Aids is on the rise-


www.utopia-asia.com/aidsjp.htm



www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/17/MN76451.DTL&type=health

Female sex workers are one of Japan's highest-risk groups for AIDS.



"The girls take me very seriously because in Japan there is little access to correct information on sexual health," said SWASH activist Yukiko Kaname. "

Yeah.



Sorry to dissapoint you my friend.Find us some hot erotica!!! Some deliciously healthy- interesting- sexy visions, couplings!:)Maybe, with a sense of humor too?



Thank you for allowing my experience & perspective here- at your blog.

(not sure if i put my name etc in:)

Just a quick clarification, i don't have so much of a problem with-Araki Nobuyoshi who has a wealth of photography which does not revolve around- the pure & complete objectification of a woman.( I've gotten a few e-mails for my response to you- one assuming it was both men i am talking about-)
His photos of cats & buildings & some of his more respectful nudes that allow for the capturing of the power & beauty of the anonymous women involved- are alright,& especially the living & dying flowers which is- a japanese tradition- he's still no Alfred Steiglitz.

& in this quote of his- it's nice to know that he can freely admit to being a typical pervert-"I wanted to molest women who had become monochrome, it made me want to paint color on prints. - Nobuyoshi Araki"

In the sub- culture of S&M his photographs of nameless women submissively & painfully strapped to the ceiling are common.. I am more into the avant garde- heavily into the avant garde in fact, that i am actually so bored by such images & their weak attempt at intimacy- that i only have respect for those who put themselves in the place of their models. These women are obviously so beautiful that he seems incapacitated in making a series of portraits of them, for just their sheer beauty.The poetry of emotion in their faces & the light of their place & time.

As far as the avant garde & the intellect it takes to view something artistically- i don't know why we don't have more documentary photos or films of "the life of perverts" the majority being men- i would love to see the men/women(?) behind the camera. It would be amazing to behold- Araki- suspended from the ceiling, flower in his anus sharing in the "joy& pleasure" of his sitters. I think we really need more documentary images, films on the "life of perverts",I would find this very fascinating & it's something i'd love to watch.

I think what Vanessa Beecroft does with the nude, is amazing- they stand uniformly- facing you- outfitted to look alike- or in odd ways- & the imagery is so successful & the use of the female nude- that the viewer is confronted with their own objectification of the subject/s & the many parallels one may make in concerns to society's representations of women as a homogenous string- of objects.It makes one- eventually , very uneasy & offers many unspoken realisations.

I saw "In the Cut" recently, & i suggest anyone see this film- Jane Campion did a brilliant- job at presenting Susanna Moore's book ...& the acting by Meg Ryan & Mark Ruffalo in exploring their relationship- with such complexity & with amazing intense sexual scenes of intimacy-in the nude, which i am sure were hard to pull off- well, these were two of the most remarkable performances i have ever seen.Beautiful.

Or we may look at R.Crumb who i just like so much- who intelligently & with much humor- is able to freely admit his sexual obsessions in such unique & gifted ways.He empowers his great work by not hiding himself away- his weaknesses, desires, & out of his honesty just about everybody can share in his obsessions!.

It is usually- former "perverts" in fact that create some brilliant work once they are removed fom the one-dimensionality of the pure objectification of women. Woody Allen's brilliant "Match Point" or Roman Polanski's "The Pianist".Two of the best films, i have ever seen.

I think, images or performances of preferably real couples, straight or gay or whatever their sexual orientation- who are enjoying eachother, & loving eachother are my favorite. These are precious glimpses into intimacy- love, carnal & psychological desire, that are so personal & if actual, powerful..We see very little of this, i think, honestly because most couples do not like to exploit the beauty of their intimacy & really? Rightly so...(well, except for where public affection is embraced, like Brazil or parts of Europe, lovers publically expressing their affections & admiration of eachother )..

Which is why i shall bring up "In the Cut" again, as a book & as a film- it is so successful in generating all these emotions in the viewer, allowing us a true escape out of the purely one-dimentional in the objectification of people..:)

I like the work. In the context of now, with photographers such as Nan Goldin portraying the Tokyo Underground in far more explicit, sexually charged works, these images appear romantic with a sense of melancholy to me. Any criticism I would offer would come in the form of discussing how influenced this work is by Araki Nobuyoshi, that like so much work of today it perhaps lacks a view forward.... I would hope that sharkforum lends itself to somewhat more sophisticated discussions than, does not become a place to revisit the victorian ideals of Gloria Steinem style 70's feminisim replete with its at this point, seemingly laughable hysterics/ histrionics.

The Shark

"victorian ideals of Gloria Steinem style 70's feminisim replete with its at this point, seemingly laughable hysterics/ histrionics."

One could not be more wrong- it's on her back- that all of us have rights, she won't seem so victorian, laughable, hysterical or caught up in "theatrics" or histrionics as you say- while this country is slowly & completely overturning Roe vs Wade.

"Gloria Steinem: If Bush Wins in 2004, "Abortion Will Be Criminalized". She also protested against the Vietnam war.

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/04/02/int04008.html

As a matter fact- In 2005 "The UN Millennium Project, a panel of more than 250 experts from all over the world, identifies gender inequality as one of the primary drivers of poverty and social exclusion. "

"It is a simple message but a powerful one: Gender equality reduces poverty and saves and improves lives."

http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2005/presskit/summary.htm

So, i guess that makes all of us including 250 experts world wide, hysterical & theatrical.

Gloria Steinem links.

Suggested reading.:)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Steinem

http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=150"

Amy, it was left to The Shark to inform you when you complained about the Chicago Art World being run by men (the perverts-) that you were completely mistaken. As, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the scene here over the last quarter century would be aware that from Mary Jane Jacobs, Kirshner, Stacy Boris, Suzanne Getz to our own fabulous Lynne Warren, the art scene here has been dominated by a group of strong women.

I find it fascinating that you are such an authority on photography in particular erotic photography, enough so to inform us all as to its paucity in terms of success or, quality. I guess most of the instances when I looked at an image I felt was sexy, erotic, I was simply wrong or being a pervert according to your version of how things are. I wonder, from where does your authority derive to utter proclamations such as:" His photos of cats & buildings & some of his more respectful nudes that allow for the capturing of the power & beauty of the anonymous women involved- are alright,& especially the living & dying flowers which is- a japanese tradition- he's still no Alfred Steiglitz."......and if I may ask, why would you even make a comparison like that? -If it was Harry Calahan -it might make some kind of sense -but what does Araki Nobuyoshi's work have to do with Steiglitz?

Once again as I have felt compelled to do both on artletter and now on sharkforum I reiterate, "its a bad day when certain people treat their superiors with a contempt they haven't earned."

I have a good idea for you Amy; why not save your pronouncments for the day -if and when it comes, that you can back them up with the quality of your own work -the idea of legitimate authority being action speaks louder than words- and, since you seem so eager to pontificate, may I suggest you make haste to the studio and turn that critical gaze upon your own work -painting that from my critical gaze albeit over the internet, could use a whole lot of critical reassesment, reconsideration, and adjustment.

The Shark

I never said any- such things.Ever.Anyone that knows me, knows that i would never- say, such things.

& i never talked about anyone in chicago being a pervert. & i stated that perversion exists mutually between men & women, it's i think- a universal concept we can all grasp.I am not pro- or anti- perversion.

I was elaborating on specifics- which may or may not have to do with the fall of feminism & the dominance of capitolism.

So i'll leave this blog, of course.Since my point of view is so unwelcome- by you.

Of- course.

I won't lower myself, to insults.

oh brother!

"I would hope that sharkforum lends itself to somewhat more sophisticated discussions than, does not become a place to revisit the victorian ideals of Gloria Steinem style 70's feminisim replete with its at this point, seemingly laughable hysterics/ histrionics."

And I would hope that sharkforum allows for an intelligent woman's perspective about some pretty banal photography without being dismissed as a hysterical female.

Oh brother indeed.

I DO NOT find Amy's comments to be hysterical or any such thing. In fact, although greatly over-written, I agree with most of her perceptions. I personally don't find these photos of much interest or erotic. Not bad, actually at all, just rather cliched.



I suppose, then, that since Amy Denes points this out, there does arise the question of her own work, but you don't always have to say that so high-handedly, O Shark-a-nator! I have often enjoyed her comments here and at the Art Letter, but yes, I too don't see it reflected in her work. Want to discuss that Amy?



To Amy, as well --- don't leave these discussions, just write shorter (and remind me to do the same!) And don't let Wesley scare you off. He's like that and can be too brashly insulting --- but to a large extent that is a big part of his energy and charm. Brush off his churlish packaging, but pay attention to his "eye," the contents of his blitzes. He can see clearly and often surprisingly.



So, now you guys, talk more measuredly to each other please, but don't stop arguing. Too many blogs turn into "flaming" and/or cut-and-run because of that. "Convince" by content, not by quantity or by aggression --- but most of all by quality of your own work, as Wesley was correct to point out, albeit rudely.

Simone an artist of Ms. Denes level of accomplishment coming off as an authority, judging artists far more evolved than her is hysterical -in several different contexts- the last thing I want to see sharkforum become is a forum for airing the resentments of lesser artists, employing whatever idealogy is readily available to make up for what their own work lacks.

I like the idea of this place attempting to be about esthetic excellence -that the photos initially discussed were not all that is not where I have contention. Its the authoritative tone Ms. Denes then evidences, drawing inept and inane comparisons between artists very much her superiors, while her own work dispels any notion of esthetic authority she continually claims.

Thank you Simone, Mark.

For the feedback, support & positive criticism.

I must clarify that i am very into human rights this was my initial point & i think that we need to be careful & monitor carefully what we put out there- to call "art".

I contacted a journalist at Tokyo Free Press, he was gracious enough to visit this blog & to email me back.

For now, i will quote his e-mail as i have asked him if it is ok- for anyone to contact him regarding this- in which i will post his email later, if he is ok with it.
He was very gracious to take time out to write me back.

I shall also post some information on the trend of "enjo kosai", afterward.

Thank you.

Quotes from an e-mail from a journalist at Tokyo Free Press.

I’ve just studied the exchange of posts between you, the Shark and Beckman, though very quickly. I may be mistaken but among other things I have difficulty understanding why these guys mix up art issues with sex slavery issues."

"If one really wants to combat TIP (trafficking in persons), he should literally combat, instead of drawing or taking a picture. To me these insensitive sexists in Sharkforum are just prattling about a sheer nonsense. This also indicates that these guys, and Araki Nobuyoshi for that matter, are far from first-rate artists or art critics."

"When it comes to art issues, believe it or not, there is not a single respectable artist in today’s Japan, because of what I call the “cartelization” of culture. Most of my fellow countrymen are obsessed with the myth of racial/cultural homogeneity, i.e., sameness with others, whereas a real artist always seeks to differentiate himself/herself from others. You may have heard of Japan’s venerable “artist” by the name of Yoshihiko Wada who was awarded the prestigious Art Encouragement Prize from the Education Minister earlier this year. And now it’s been somehow revealed that Wada had been plagiarizing works by Italian painter Alberto Sughi for many years. As of today, this con man still insists his works are all original.

And yet, underlying both (this highly institutionalized and subtly legitimatize abuse of human rights and dignity, and cultural mediocrity) is the one and the same myth of homogeneity. To make the long story short, the sheer fallacy about our sameness has always underpinned what I call “the chain of oppression”. And day in, day out, a handful of us are fighting against abusers and traffickers from the bottom of this chain, which is not really visible from abroad. It must be very easy for Japanophile/Orientalist westerners just to cherry-pick on things Japanese actually nonexistent here. It’s no wonder Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha was a smash hit on both sides of the Pacific."

( end of email quotes)

"Japan is still believed to be the largest distributor of child pornography in the world. The country is also struggling with widespread teenage prostitution, known as "enjoy kosai" or compensated dating."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1025059980856_20469180//

"Child prostitution and child pornography are serious problems in Japan, with lawmakers seeking to curb the use of children in the sex trade.

The Japanese government said in a recent report that about 50% of child pornography crimes were committed on the Internet. "The government will continue to grasp the situation of the commercial sexual exploitation of children by analyzing the specific cases of violations of the law that have been uncovered," it said.

Japan has more than 550 Internet-based dating services and some 80% of the people used cell phones to access them."

">http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/245192

">http://www.mynippon.com/culture/culturehome.htm

"Should enjo kosai be banned?

MYNIPPON believes that the Japanese Government should take serious steps to ban it and prosecute those men who engage in it. Whatever the cultural and social context that allows this to happen, enjo kosai is not healthy for the young girls involved. Engaging in physical relations with an old man with the sole purpose of earning money to be spent on luxurious goods is simply not healthy (regardless of how casually it might be perceived by these girls). "

"3) Thanks to the close ties among yakuza, law enforcement and the media, prostitution is subtly institutionalized and legitimatized here. As a result, Japanese prostitutes are always disguised as something else, something a little more decent. It's almost four decades ago that a French correspondent stationed in Japan observed: "These bar hostesses are prostitutes who do not think they are prostitutes".

Under the circumstances it's taboo especially for major media organizations to discuss the whole truth about Japanese prostitution. Half a century ago, a French philosopher argued, when discussing anti-Semitism in Europe, that there is a thing to be called the chain of oppression. And you cannot reveal the truth about prostitution in Japan without unearthing the truth about the entire socio-economic mechanism for oppression. That's why it's a taboo issue here."

"Japan is still believed to be the largest distributor of child pornography in the world. The country is also struggling with widespread teenage prostitution, known as "enjoy kosai" or compensated dating."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1025059980856_20469180//

"Child prostitution and child pornography are serious problems in Japan, with lawmakers seeking to curb the use of children in the sex trade.

The Japanese government said in a recent report that about 50% of child pornography crimes were committed on the Internet. "The government will continue to grasp the situation of the commercial sexual exploitation of children by analyzing the specific cases of violations of the law that have been uncovered," it said.

Apologies for my quick pasting there are two of the same article..

Thank you.

"When it comes to art issues, believe it or not, there is not a single respectable artist in today’s Japan, because of what I call the “cartelization” of culture:

Well, Amy you have found someone whose argument is almost as insipid as your own to quote: shall I list the excellent artists coming out of Japan today? -I'm not going to bother.

I personally don't feel that sharkforum is the place for an artist whose work is far from adequate to expound upon social ills.

Unfortuantely I haven't had the time to do much more than skim these posts. I must say that, vitriol aside, I love the activity - it's one of the reasons we started this whole thing.



I think I come down closer to Mark and Simone on this, at least as far as Wesley's responses to Ms. Denes are concerned. I don't feel informed enough to comment on the quality of this work, or the politics involved. I have strong feelings about feminism (for it, even though I think the standards of definiiton have changed with time and progress), and I think a reference to Ms. Steinem as hysterical or histrionic is just plain wrong.



I find the topics of pornography and sex pretty much enthralling, but then I'm an unapologetic admirer of the female form (I'm a formalist in general), and I'm pretty much hang-up free when it comes to sex. I don't approve of imagery or video which depicts abusive situations, and I think that prostitution (even though I think it should be legal and closely administered by governmental oversight) as it currently stands is absolutely subjegation.



Personally I find the concept that "non-experts" should be discouraged from vocalization of strong opinions to be a little silly, as expert status is almost always something which can only be confered upon one by others. I say people should voice their opinions and be willing to defend them. They should also be willing to remain open to the falibility of the human psyche.



The other aspect of this is that I've always seen equal rights as being about respect. One way of showing someone respect is refusing to pander to them, and sometimes bluntness is a crude actualization of this respect. What's funny is that I know Wesley well enough to know that he does respect women (to the extent that he respects anyone else, i.e.; judging them on their accomplishments and quality of character), and I'd say he's pretty evolved when it comes to his views on the subject. It's true that he has a "take no prisoners" mentality when it comes to esthetrics, and I think this may be a failure of proportion on his part, but I'm not here to criticize or defend him.

Amy - I would encourage you to continue to post, and I'm with Mark in that I think you could be more concise. I won't defend Wesley's lack of civility on this manner, nor will I take sides on the strength of his views regarding Sharkforum and excellence. I think we can all do better. I know I can.

"I personally don't feel that sharkforum is the place for an artist whose work is far from adequate to expound upon social ills."



What does one thing have to do with the other? The only criteria for having a justifiable opinion on social issues is being an informed member of a society. Whether you approve of her work or not is irrelevant. Her sociological comments, whether they're well-reasoned or not, are most certainly germane to the art in question. I think it's a valid, if somewhat tedious topic of discussion.



I found this guy from Tokyo to be rather, uh, sketchy in his "logic," but let's not confuse the issues.

Let me be more concise: first there is a huge history over the last four decades of bad art tied to gender issues...from Judy Chicago to Artemisa to Chicago Artists Coalition, one need not look far. Its no accident that most excellent women, and men artists steer clear of these groups of mediocre collectivists.

There is the famous story of the great abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell being confronted at a talk at SFMOMA by one of these propagators of gender issues over esthetics and how Joan verbally threw her out of the room....when the symposium for Lee Bontecou was held at at the Contemporary, a proponent of gender politics stood up to argue that Lee Bontecou's work was addressing these issues.....Donna de Salvo curator Tate Modern simply said -I paraphrase -"thank God Lee went home early as her reaction to your comments would not have been good."




As far as Amy draging in some idiot to buttress her argument -perhaps I should leave it to an expert like Lynne Warren to discuss just how influential Japanese artists have been over the last decades -from photography -through the whole super flat movement...this clowns methodology of putting up a single piece of political criteria and then summarily dismissing everyone speaks for itself.

As for Ms Denes, isn't it at least ironic that her last attempted project in the art world was an attempt to get Damien Hirst to collaborate with her?..Lets consider Mr. Hirsts most recent images: the face of the female crack head disintegrating, the lab animals being cut open......I don't think correcting societies ills is nessecarily Mr. Hirsts agenda....it all seems slightly too sensationalistic for that......so what was the criteria for wanting to work with him besides, his fame? When I asked Ms Denes she noted that they both like Francis Bacon: shall we discuss Mr. Bacon's ouvre? Lets see, there is torture, bondage, cruelty, masochisim, sadisim.....all pretty much for carnal pleasure - and of course many of his subjects were, male prostitutes.......objectified.

Look, at the risk of sounding cruel I will be blunt. I didn't collaborate on creating sharkforum to have it become a forum for social ailments and gender politics for mediocre artists. Like I said CAC -Artemisia -this thread Amy propogated is in full swing there -has been for years -along with a whole lot of shit art.

Wesley-



I am completely disinterested in taking all the things you have said about other's & twisting them askew to make you look bad. It's just one string of untruths after another.



I prefer fact, as a strategy for holding up an argument. If you must drag private conversations which you have artfully disected in your favor into this forum, i'll let you know right now- that i will not resort to this.



I will not take all that you have told me & hurt other people with it.

As far as Demian Hirst? You don't even know what my project is about- & if you think you do or express that you think you do it is just another perversion to try and make a human being with an opinion a victim in your blog.
& I sent my project off to several people, of which Mr.Hirst is just one, if i remember correctly you were too focused on Hirst to care about any of the other considerations. I just happened to have gotten a letter back from Mr.Hirst & you were off!!

You have no idea what role he was offered to play in the project.

I consider the fact that even though i asked you not to talk about my project( of which i never- gave you full details, in which you promised you would not), the fact that you are- here? It's a huge- breach of trust.

As far as what you say about Bacon- & that being the motive i would contact this artist? I never said such a thing.

Yes, i do like Bacon, i have told many that i have taken some issue with some of the things in his personal life-but he was obviously capable of having relationships.

Another fact, is you don't know anything about me, my life, those involved, you have never seen my work in person.You have not invested enough time or interest in my life as to have a clue as to who- I am.& have i ever asked you to? Have i ever asked to be some "magnificent & great holier than thou" authority ?No.

You have succeeded in making me wish that i never approached the facts behind this subject, the reality.I can't even comment on this anymore.

I never graduated from art school, the last show i had was NOVA 2006. I have a varied history in the arts- consisting of opera training, scholarships for art & writing etc-..but there's no point in getting into it here..These things are a given..

I sincerely appreciate greatly-David Roth's neutral & balanced point of view on the furor that has become this blog.

I am more interested, in what others have to say.. & what i thought & what you said- to me over the phone was an interesting debate.Apparently not anymore.

I am not- the people in the audience- of Joan Mitchell & Lee Bontecou. i am not Joan Mitchell or Lee Bontecou.I am just one human being in the world, the present, the now & the real.

So you may bash me all you wish, Wesley, it won't stop me from my work & which is something i do for myself.
I can't even write about this anymore- all the lies & veiled threats are just too far off subject & too heavy.

To save myself any further stress & waste of energy & my time- of clarifying again and again- what my point was..

I won't come here, it's just not healthy for me right now. If i do it will be to read & absorb all the other great- blogs on this site & i will be taking e-mails.Oh, the blog about Inconvenient Truth is soooo superior to this.I might comment back to some of the other more neutral & rational comments that were posted here.

It's strange- out of the blue a half year ago- you mysteriously bashed me- i contact you just 2 weeks ago- thinking oh maybe he's out of his eccentric mood-i post here & it's the same thing all over again. I will never trust you in the same way, ever, again.

If the journalist of Tokyo Free Press wishes to take questions on the subject, i shall mail his information to James.

It was, a good debate, i hope.

Kaput.

& As they say, "The truth shall set you free".

Yuchi Yamomoto's e-mail address-


yuichi@crux.ocn.ne.jp

Yuichi Yamamoto of Tokyo Free Press is open to recieving e-mails on this subject.


Quote from his last email.

"Among other feedbacks I’ve received thus far, ones from a Chinese-American who is a New York City cop and a U.S.-educated young Japanese lady who has launched the Japanese office for Polaris Project http://www.polarisproject.org/polarisproject/ are really heartening and interesting, because they are sensitive enough to empathize with the hardships these souls (prostitutes) are going through in this nation.

Hang in there and stay in touch.



Yuichi Yamamoto



(I'll add that Unicef is involved as well...)



Bye.

PS: After I sent out my first mail, I learned that James Beckman had already taken up Yoshihiko Wada’s habitual plagiarism. But obviously in his superficial and light-hearted piece, Beckman failed to notice that the entire Japanese culture, which I call a “Cultural Salad”, is lined with our special skills to steal someone else’s ideas all the time. "

(The ps. is from Yamomoto, not me-:) Just straightening out any possible confusion...

"Sigh".

Bye, part 2.

Amy, I don't recall any promise to not discuss your project-proposal to Mr Hirst -which by the way you explained to me in great detail. I thought Iit was quite nice of him to send you a note declining the honor of working with you. I seriously think you should get in touch with the people at Artemisa. I think you will find the discussion and prevailing esthetics close to your own sensibilities.

uhhhh, thanks for clearing things up for us Amy. I wish you well in your crusade against child pornography. Like I said, A-R-T-E-M-I-S-A -they're in the phone book

Looks like the end of this most captivating exchange has finally arrived. Thus may I suggest you all hop on a bus, train or automobile to Landmark's Century Centre Theaters and purchase a ticket to Sir! No Sir! An account of some of the realities of the Vietnam war that our government failed to mention. Indicative of at least part of the reasons we are in trouble in Iraq. No lessons learned. When the corrupt lead the corrupt. Ladies and gentlemen, "over 500,000 incidents of desertions between 1966 to 71."

Also while you are at it if you are a fan of Iranian filmmaker, Abbas Kiarostami check out Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

PAZ

i definately agree - nothing has changed in the military. i used to work with veterans all day long, and the stories i heard were alarming, yet unfortunately timeless.

ok, I went and had a gander at "Tokyo Undressed." I found it mildly erotic, and the photography appealed to me in some instances. They weren't great exposures, but there were some nice compositions.



my question is - just how exactly does the question of child pornography come into this? unless I'm missing something, I didn't see anything resembling that revolting perversion.

Well exactly Dave -though with your question as rhetorical as it is, I really don't want to encourage anymore attention seeking blog-glomming on sharkforum with discourse at such a sophmoric level -hence my brusque and dismissive tact, as ill-fated an attempt as it was; (why is it that shark attacks always cause such a splash!?)

There exists a plethora of lame attitudes/ dumb arguments happening in the art world of now: One of the reasons for having sharkforum is to have an ecology where the plebians are kept at bay -not, in the bay.