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CONTROVERSY has become attached to the artist Joel Yuen's series of photographic prints, showing arrangements of animal parts, which won this year's UOB Painting of the Year. Some, it seems, call it in bad taste. Now, art needn't be controversial, of course. And neither does controversy validate an effort at artistry. Nevertheless, the debate is useful for providing an opportunity to further public openness to what constitutes art. Too often, art is expected to be pretty. (But though Jackson Pollock is hugely admired, his paint splats are surely disturbing to take in; not pretty.) Worse, judgment too often is deferred to the size of the price tag next to the canvas, sculpture, or print. (Yet many artists fail to make money for pieces that are eventually highly regarded. The art didn't change over time; taste had to catch up.)
Contemporary art can be difficult, certainly. Mondrian's black-bordered squares and rectangles of colours are hard to appreciate at first. To put it in just a few words, contemporary art gives the narrative and ideas attached a far bigger role than previously in the history of art. What the artist is trying to say - and how - has become very important. Without this, a Rothko canvas might simply be a bunch of fuzzy-edged rectangles of colour. But even without a grounding in art history - and remember, galleries often provide useful primers - art can still be approached at face value. It evokes an emotional response, and we might be convinced to read up. With a deeper background, our reaction then evolves. Art is, after all, a relationship between the audience and the work.
So while some may be uncomfortable with Mr Yuen's prints, his attempt to make his audience think about animals and consumption, by 'taking (animal) parts and putting them together', clearly has sparked engagement with the work. One person who viewed it was quoted in this paper saying: 'These photographs are disgusting...(They) make me very uncomfortable. Even if art is not beautiful, it should not inspire such feelings.' But instead, that's precisely it: art draws out emotions, even if sometimes disturbing ones. (Think of Francis Bacon's distorted human forms. Or Fang Lijun's bald heads hinting at untold stories that you're subtly invited to draw out.)
Maybe the debate over Mr Yuen's winning work eventually will bring a fresh appreciation of art. This would support many local artists who may not now be readily understood, from those working in traditional forms to the emerging digital media. The barriers are being pushed out. With luck, more of the public will venture into the space.
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