Dog-Man Sculptures Have Aussies Asking, ‘Mutt or Smut?’ Larry Knowles
AOL NEWS
Two Australian artists are turning heads Down Under with provocative art depicting human figures with dog heads. The works have inspired debate among Australians, who are asking whether the art is pornographic or a perversion of the senses.
Husband and wife duo Marc and Gillie Schattner, of Sydney, recently wrapped up their latest exhibition http://www.gillieandmarc.com/current_exhibition.html , titled “Returning to the Animal Within,” featuring 20 paintings and five sculptures of dog-headed humans at play and in repose. While the pieces represent a shared whimsy between man and dog — a portrait of a dog man playing a guitar, for example — it’s the sculptures that take the playfulness and add an edgy sexual element.
One of the sculptures depicts two nude dog men knelt over ice cream cones, while another, titled “They Weren’t Really in Love but That Didn’t Matter,” shows a naked dog couple having intercourse.
“Nudity always gives that shock value, but it’s a natural, normal thing,” Gillie Schattner told AOL News. “And it’s a very loving pose they’re in,” she added, referring to the dog couple. A third sculpture, portraying a nude dog man on all fours savoring a cup of coffee, has garnered the most attention and criticism for the Schattners. The piece, first displayed in front of a gallery in Sydney in March 2009, is anatomically correct, with a penis that checks in at 40 centimeters. Within hours of being put on display, the sculpture, dubbed “Good Boy,” had drawn the attention of passers-by, some of whom took offense to the work. According to the Sunday Times of Perth, the police were called in to investigate an obscenity charge. The media followed.
“Art or Smut?” asked the Daily Telegraph of Sydney. “Dogged by Controversy,” read a headline in the West Australian.
When “Good Boy” went on display at a gallery in Perth three months later, gallery owner Linton Partington told WAToday.com.au, “We’ve had many an angry look and quite a few complaints about the 40-cm penis, but thankfully the people of Perth seem much more open minded than Sydney because so far there’s been no visit from the police.” The sculpture, which was excluded from the Schattners’ latest exhibition, has been on tour throughout Australia since its introduction, eliciting a mix of smiles, shrugs and the occasional frown.
“Everyone sort of knows him,” Gillie said of “Good Boy.” “He’s infamous.”
The Schattners are hoping to find a buyer for “Good Boy,” the title of which was inspired by the Schattners’ own dog, Moby.
