Controversial Art

One kind of controversial art is the art of body piercings, but not the kind that normal people would get. No, this kind of body piercing moves the whole piercing thing to a completely different level above and beyond what most people would even remotely consider, spurning the question "can self mutilation be considered art"? Here are some images.

The "corset piercing" pierces the back of a person much like a corset. This is laced with industrial strength cable.

This is another example with industrial strength cable. This time, the subject is suspended using the cable and it is punched right through her flesh.

Another example of suspension.

This is an example of a mouth being stitched closed with thread. Are these all examples of art, or self-mutilation?

Another type of controversial art is art that is considered "underground" and an artist like Banksy would be a perfect example of such an art form. He posts politically-charged pieces of graffiti that break the conventional ways of seeing graffiti. He also does parody work of existing classic paintings, but is that originality and artistic, or is it just a copy-cat delinquent maneuver? Take into account that he sometimes sneaks his works into museums and hangs them up for display:

This is a piece of his graffiti work that depicts children dancing around a nuclear explosion as though it is the mulberry bush from nursery rhymes. It has obvious political tones, but it is pasted on a public wall. Is it graffiti, or a statement?

This is a picture of two cops making out. Perhaps Banksy doesn't appreciate police. Regardless, either image is a far cry from the normal twisted words that most graffiti is associated with. The subject matter is very simple, but it seems more artistic than the norm for graffiti.

This is a famous painting, but normally, there is no broken glass, lawn chairs, or men standing outside in boxers. Banksy copied the artists work and added in his own touches. These are the kind of works that he sneaks into gallery showings. Is this art?

This is another picture that Banksy did not completely create. His touch would be the surveillance tower between the road and the lake.

Both of these kinds of art are generally considered to be controversial. The first set is controversial for obvious reasons, including that most people would consider it more along the lines of self-mutilation than art. The second set makes a statement, but is plastered on public walls and posted in galleries that it doesn't belong in.

Credit for the first set of images goes to Circle23 and nightmarebeta at Deviantart.com

credit for the banksy art goes to Banksy.