Mickey Mouse with swastika poster upsets Polish

Mickey Mouse with swastika poster upsets Polish

www.telegraph.co.uk

A huge outdoor art poster that blends Mickey Mouse's image with that of a swastika and a nude woman's body is causing a stir in Poland, where memories of the suffering inflicted by Nazi Germany remain strong.
The poster, which went up in June in the western city of Poznan just steps from a synagogue, is an Italian artist's take on what he calls the "horrors" of the American lifestyle and is one piece of artwork in a contemporary art exhibition opening in the autumn.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I would like to view more works from this exhibition to form a better opinion of the artist's intentions here.
Personally I can understand the humour of what he is trying to put across, but it being yards away from a synagogue in Poland is just in bad taste. I'm sure this will provide him with an abundance of publicity.

So what do you think? Does this artist really have a valuable message to us all, or is he just cashing in on a tragedy and pushing emotional buttons, to fuel his own ego. I suspect the latter.

www.telegraph.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

"Art should be provocative and controversial," she said, insisting that the poster does not seek to propagate Nazism but instead wants to explore "symbols and how they work."

This is what I don't get this whole art is supposed to be controversial?

Why be controversial without a message, isn't that just being obnoxious?

This is what irritates me, this whole new age thinking 'I'm just speaking my mind' what happened to social tact? What people often consider to be speaking their mind, I find just plain rude.

Free speech I'm all for (otherwise I wouldn't be on ATS), but people used to be concerned with whether they would upset someone needlessly.

I will have to reserve further judgement until seeing the rest of this artist's works and also locating exactly where the synagogue in question was in relation to the poster.

Originally posted by Big Raging Loner

This is what irritates me, this whole new age thinking 'I'm just speaking my mind' what happened to social tact? What people often consider to be speaking their mind, I find just plain rude.

Free speech I'm all for (otherwise I wouldn't be on ATS), but people used to be concerned with whether they would upset someone needlessly.

I agree. Personally I respect other peoples reality-frames so much that I would not go around feeling compelled to provoke and agitate them with stuff they are not willing to see. Not that I think the poster is offensive - but if others do, why not respect that?

Oh yes Italy. The horrors of the American life style.

How dare we make sand castles? How dare we wear sandals while making those sand castles?

news.scotsman.com...

Maybe they could argue that it's art if the 'artist' showed some talent. I expected to see a piece that was cleverly created, not something that could be cobbled together by any teenager in photoshop.

Worst thing is, there are people having sexual fantasies over that poster.

Did I just type that aloud?

[edit on 15-7-2010 by butcherguy]

The poster was classified as art and so did not fall under laws against glorifying nazis, and I think that is the obvious choice, its not like the poster had some racist slogan on it. If you dont like it, dont look at it, let other people be. Someone said take it down out of respect of those who were offended, I say leave it up out of respect of freedom of expression and the artist, you dont have to the right to not be offended.

reply to post by mythatsabigprobe


Very true, even just in Microsoft paint.

"The Mickey Mouse head and swastika are on the same level - they don't mean anything and they are both part of the globalized world," Ms Czarnecka said.

I certainly do not agree with this either. Symbols don't mean anything? Symbols are often much more emotionally charged than words and vocal rhetoric.

I think in the mainstream there are plenty of examples that modern culture does still attach meaning to symbols in a big way. The Da Vinci code, and other Dan brown books have brought symbology to millions in his popular series, albeit in a sexed up and fictional manner. The recent batman films, particularly Batman Begins, focusses largely on the power of symbols.

Even without these examples it is a fairly lame excuse to just say, it's ok to throw these images around because they don't mean anything.

Should people start using the 'N' word regularly too because it's just a word it doesn't mean anything. Her belief is a slippery slope into the further degredation of society.

I also find it highly suspect that the artist's name is not mentioned in the article. As I had planned to view his other pieces to draw an opinion on his work.

Just more of the same childish attention seeking crap that self aggrandizing fools call "art".

" Well since we don't have any way to publicize our talent (or lack thereof) we'll just have to come up with the most offensive thing we can think of and then label it something that is fashionably offensive as well.

And when people don't like it, which is what we're counting on here, we just act shocked and tell them that it's in no way intended to offend the people we intentionally offended. "

Then we simply sneer at them and act superior in our knowledge that the masses just don't have any real comprehension of true art.

They're so lucky to have us. We're so incisive when deconstructing the psyche of the dichotomistic American/Nazi middle class.

Now. Let's find a martini bar where we can pay a usurious cover charge and swill over priced and watered down well drinks while we stare luridly at the waitresses pelvis and discuss ways to offend victims of incestual rape.


[edit on 15-7-2010 by badgerprints]

if you studied on the way disney/ disney world is structured and some of the
many conspiracy theories. many of which i woundnt doubt. then
mickey mouse with a swastika could be a warning..
ah- the con artist has gained my attention.
but really-
the usa puts missiles in poland -but they are upset about this?

For those of you wondering the Polish title on the poster says;

Poznan world capital of art.

If this is what the world's capital of art has to offer I worry for the future of it.

Quite a strong message, I thought.

People all see the problem with the swastika and what it stood for, but remain ignorant of the nefarious agenda behind Mickey Mouse and advertisements exploiting the naked female body.

This guy is trying to show that the reality behind the NWO's prettied up symbols is as grim as the Nazi one had been.

Reply to post by Big Raging Loner

Or he could be just showing that he thinks Mickey is a Hindu


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by wayno


Thanks for spelling it out for me...I get it now.

"where memories of the suffering inflicted by Nazi Germany remain strong. "

Boo-Hoo, it was the first half of the last century, get over it. Quit trying to use the holocaust as a tool to stifle free speech.
What about all the suffering inflicted by Jewish Israel? The Star of David is the new Swastika.