Pictures pulled from Ulverston exhibition in BNP 'racism' row (From The Westmorland Gazette)
When news happens, text KENEWS and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Pictures pulled from Ulverston exhibition in BNP 'racism' row
9:00am Thursday 1st November 2012 in News
By Allan Tunningley
TWO paintings were removed from a Furness art exhibition after a row broke out about their alleged ‘racist’ imagery.
The works by veteran South Lakeland artist Tom Dearden, a BNP supporter, were taken down at Ulverston’s Coronation Hall on Saturday after Labour MP John Woodcock branded the subject depicted as ‘extremist’.
The Grange-based artist, who staged the exhibition to mark his 70th birthday, has displayed his works at the Royal Academy and two of his oils feature in collections at Kendal’s Abbot Hall Art Gallery.
The two controversial pictures, depicting montages of press cuttings, drawings and abstract art, incensed Mr Woodcock when he attended the opening of the two-day Ulverston exhibition.
Following a confrontation between the MP and the artist, the artwork was taken down.
Mr Dearden said he chose to do so because he did not want to put Coronation Hall management and staff ‘in an awkward position’.
One witness to the incident claimed Mr Woodcock had asked for the closure of the entire exhibition.
Mr Woodcock said: “At first I thought there might have been some ironic message in the artwork, which used cuttings from BNP election publicity and contained what looked to me like a crude caricature of a black man's profile of the kind typical in racist material over the years.
“But the pieces rang particular alarm bells because the artist had mentioned the BNP out of nowhere when I first introduced myself.
“When his companion and the artist himself confirmed that Mr Dearden was a BNP supporter, I gave him short shrift and told him I would do nothing to help him – quite the opposite in fact.
“The divisive and intolerant politics of the BNP are not welcome in Furness and I just do not think it is right to allow those kind of views to go unchallenged, no matter how respected the artist has been up until now.”
His stand was supported by Ulverston Mayor Brenda Marr, who said: “I was an admirer of Tom Dearden’s work but I had no idea he would use an exhibition at the Coronation Hall to promote extreme views. I am glad that our MP picked up on the BNP connection and took the action he did.”
Mr Dearden said he had ‘worked hard for my art’ and was upset at ‘being verbally attacked in this manner by a young arrogant man who seems not to have a thimble full of knowledge about art’.
He added: “The work was put together from newspaper cuttings and political papers at the time that came through my door. If Mr Woodcock had come and spoken to me in the correct manner perhaps I would have had an opportunity to explain my views.
“At no time during or before the exhibition did I express any political views to members of the public.”
John Sullivan, a Liberal Democrat supporter, who helped stage the event and was present during the confrontation between the artist and the MP, claimed Mr Woodcock had asked for the exhibition be closed.
“More than 1,000 people attended the exhibition over the weekend and not one person complained other than Mr Woodcock,” said Mr Sullivan.
Comments(22)
nickjohn
says...
5:10pm Thu 1 Nov 12
The more people try and silence the BNP the more publicity they get, the above article is a prime example, had the exhibition gone ahead unchallenged then we would not be aware of the artists political views nor would the BNP get further promotion.
However much we dislike the BNP they have been around a long time, have their head office in Cumbria and do have an MEP, if you want rid of them then just ignore them and don't give them a platform from which to recruit new members...
hogheaven
says...
8:45am Fri 2 Nov 12
Kendal Jock
says...
3:23pm Fri 2 Nov 12
I hope the exhibition is a great success
for Mr Dearden and the 'Corrie'.
dennis toye
says...
5:13pm Fri 2 Nov 12
Thousands of black soldiers died inj that war, defending the British Empire.
Racism has no place in British life. It is deeply repugnant and should be confronted whenever it rears its filthy head.
I am proud of my MP. Well done John Woodcock. You behaved in the best traditions of the British people.
dennis toye
says...
5:13pm Fri 2 Nov 12
Thousands of black soldiers died inj that war, defending the British Empire.
Racism has no place in British life. It is deeply repugnant and should be confronted whenever it rears its filthy head.
I am proud of my MP. Well done John Woodcock. You behaved in the best traditions of the British people.
delfirose
says...
11:09pm Fri 2 Nov 12
Kendmoor
says...
10:31am Sat 3 Nov 12
I think the fact a lib-dem supporter is 'supporting' the artist "More than 1,000 people attended the exhibition over the weekend and not one person complained other than Mr Woodcock" speaks louder than Mr Woodcocks opinion. Whats next on the agenda? Offensive rap music?
dennis toye
says...
10:51pm Sat 3 Nov 12
It is not.
.
This is not about freedom of speech. It is about what we as British people are prepared to accept as decent.
Clearly the mood of Ulverstonians (if your correspondents are typical) is that what was OK in 1930's Germany is OK in 2012 Cumbria. They bashed the Jews - we bash the blacks.
Perhaps they are actually standing up for what they believe in ?
i.e. that anyone who is not white does not deserve to be treated with dignity or protected from insult.
Perhaps it really is too much to ask that the people of Ulverston should grow up and face down the racist attitudes which our nation defeated in 1945.
But then they live in the monocultural world of Furness and have little knowledge of or interest in the reality of mainstream Britain. Pitiful.
Stop the euphemisms about 'Art' and say what you mean. which is (probably)
I really don't care if black people are insulted'
.
John Woodcock did the right thing and stood up for decency.
Kendmoor
says...
12:24am Sun 4 Nov 12
The point is, I didn't see the art, so how am I to judge wether it was racist or not? Indeed, 1000 people walked through there and had no problem..
Kendmoor
says...
12:30am Sun 4 Nov 12
Reverend Mark
says...
8:38am Sun 4 Nov 12
I am surprised Mr Woodcock didn't object to some of the sixteen grouped studies entitled "Private Pleasuring", six reclining nudes and the four studies (after Poussin) "Rape of The Sabine Women". far more material there to get hot under the collar about!
Kendmoor
says...
1:08pm Sun 4 Nov 12
nickjohn
says...
7:58pm Sun 4 Nov 12
dennis toye wrote:I may be miss reading the comments above but I did not get the impression that the posters were accepting racism, the impression I got was that they believed that as we lived in a democracy then it was their choice to determine whether the images were of a racist nature or not and that they did not believe it was the position of Mr Woodcock to act as censor on their behalf..
I find it shameful; that so many of your correspondents accept racism as acceptable.
It is not.
.
This is not about freedom of speech. It is about what we as British people are prepared to accept as decent.
Clearly the mood of Ulverstonians (if your correspondents are typical) is that what was OK in 1930's Germany is OK in 2012 Cumbria. They bashed the Jews - we bash the blacks.
Perhaps they are actually standing up for what they believe in ?
i.e. that anyone who is not white does not deserve to be treated with dignity or protected from insult.
Perhaps it really is too much to ask that the people of Ulverston should grow up and face down the racist attitudes which our nation defeated in 1945.
But then they live in the monocultural world of Furness and have little knowledge of or interest in the reality of mainstream Britain. Pitiful.
Stop the euphemisms about 'Art' and say what you mean. which is (probably)
I really don't care if black people are insulted'
.
John Woodcock did the right thing and stood up for decency.
There have been many instances where artists have done things which offend but have not been pulled from exhibitions, e.g. Tracey Emin "The Bed" which contains bed sheets stained with bodily secretions and menstrual soiled knickers, both items I feel are offensive and would not like to look at but as a work of art was plauded and short listed for a Turner Prize.
Ultimately it could be argued that Mr Woodcock acted in a bigotory manner by forcing his own personal views on the picture and that the management of the exhibition should have looked at ways of continuing with the picture included but had it in a separate section with some form of disclaimer, before people saw it, saying something like “the next art work contains images that some may find offensive”
Ultimately though what all this has done to great effect is highlight the BNP and give them yet more promotional literature to show how they or their supporters are being persecuted..
sks101
says...
12:36am Mon 5 Nov 12
and is constantly running around like jack booted nazis censoring art, any thing to do with the bnp is denounced
as offensive.i seem to recall they changed their whole constitution and it was sanctioned by 3 judges as non racist/discriminator
y. if it was not for the scandalous first past the post voting system propping up lib/lab/con we would have true political diversity,instead we got elites stealing money from the public purse.
Kendmoor
says...
10:55am Mon 5 Nov 12
Kendal Jock
says...
2:50pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Kendmoor wrote:@dennis toye You Sir have gone way overboard with your statements. Quote; "I find it shameful; that so many of your correspondents accept racism as acceptable. It is not".
(I'm not prepared to accept that out of 1000 people the only 'decent' one was the MP)
Where have you got that from? no one has said they accepted racism.
I'm afraid to say, you are as bad as the
MP John Woodcock playing the PC brigade racist card. Bigotry is the word I'd use for you both. "John Woodcock, in your words, "behaved in the best traditions of the British people". Put to a general vote, I think you'd be way out in that regard.
Kendal Jock
says...
3:01pm Mon 5 Nov 12
Seems the main problem here, is yourselves, and perhaps, the Mayoress
who sided with you. Art is art, tho' I do not agree with Tracy Emmin or Damien Hirst type stuff.
Ladyxxmacbeth
says...
11:58pm Mon 5 Nov 12
o.uk/news/ulverston/
barrow-mp-hits-out-a
t-works-on-show-at-e
xhibition-1.1010231?
referrerPath=news/
this is the link that shows you the two paintings? art?? I can see how they may be possibly a "bit BNPish"
Kendmoor
says...
10:14am Tue 6 Nov 12
I don't give two hoots about the BNP and their stupid archaic policies, but those are hardly worth the supposed "row" that this has allegedly generated. I would venture to say that this isn't as big a "row" as being made out and that infact it is indeed just serving as an MP trying to gain publicity any way possible.
twinkle2s
says...
5:31pm Tue 6 Nov 12
Jamesz
says...
7:12pm Wed 14 Nov 12
One of them had what looked like a newspaper clipping that mentioned Tories though. I would have liked to have seen the exhibit if I'd known about it.
I can only say well done to Tom for not being afraid to produce what he did. Unfortunately, it's not surprising that they would try to censor it, but the fact that they did shows that you were right on the mark.
I suspect it came a little to close to the truth in exposing what both parties; Labour and Conservative; have been complicit in for the past 50 years.
Samlock says...
4:36pm Thu 1 Nov 12