24 December 2014

Art for the day in Japan


The BBC has an article about an unusual artist, Megumi Igarashi (photo), busted for making even more unusual art:
A Japanese woman who makes art based on her vagina has been charged with obscenity, in a case that has sparked discussion on censorship.
Megumi Igarashi (photo), 42, had allegedly displayed an "obscene" work at a Tokyo, Japan sex shop and sent 3D data of her genitals to other people.
She was arrested in early December of 2014 and has been held in detention since then.
Igarashi was previously arrested in July of 2014, but was later released following a legal appeal and public pressure.
Igarashi was charged with obscenity for displaying a work modeled on her vagina and for distributing data that could be used to print out a 3D copy of her genitals, reported the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Igarashi, who goes by the name Rokudenashi-ko which means "no-good girl" in Japanese, pleaded not guilty.
Asahi Shimbun reported that she read out in court a prepared statement which said: "My works are all meant to induce friendly laughter because they involve cutely decorating sexual organs. The works are not obscene."
Japan's obscenity laws ban the depiction of genitalia, which are blurred in broadcast media and images.
If convicted, Igarashi could be jailed up to two years and/or fined more than two million yenIgarashi made international headlines in July of 2014 when she was arrested after she raised funds online to make a vagina-shaped kayak using a 3D printer. She had sent data that could be used to create 3D models of her vagina to those who had donated to her.
She was released after several days, following a legal appeal and a petition signed by more than seventeen thousand people saying her work was art and not obscene, reported the Japan Times. But police arrested her again on 3 December 2014 on similar grounds.
They also arrested the owner of a Tokyo sex shop for allegedly displaying Igarashi's "obscene goods" in her shop window from October of 2013 until July of 2014. The woman was later freed after a judge refused to allow prosecutors to question her further.
Authorities were, however, allowed to continue to detain Igarashi because the judge was concerned that she would "destroy evidence or flee", said the Asahi Shimbun.
Her case has sparked debate on the nature of censorship and Japan's obscenity laws.
Correspondents say that opinion is split in Japan over whether Igarashi's work is obscene, with some pointing out that images of penises are not seen as causing offense.
On her website, Igarashi, who has made several items based on her genitals using a silicone mold, said she wanted to make vaginas "more casual and pop", much like how penises are regarded as "part of pop culture" in Japan.
Rico says sorry, no photos of the art, or its source. (But penises are male, which shows who has the power in Japan...)

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