Bill Henson

Bill Henson (b. 1955) is an Australian contemporary art photographer.

Background

Henson's art has been exhibited in many locations, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Venice Biennale, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. His current practice involves holding one exhibition in Australia every two years, and up to three overseas exhibitions each year.

Henson's photographs reflect an interest in ambiguity and transition. The use of chiaroscuro is common throughout his works. His photographs are painterly and often presented as diptychs, triptychs and other groupings. Henson's works often meditate on the categories of and relationships between male and female; youth and adulthood; day and night; light and dark; nature and civilisation. His images often use flattened perspective and tend towards abstraction. The faces of the subjects are often blurred or partly shadowed and do not directly face the viewer.

According to Crawford, Henson presents “adolescents in their states of despair, intoxication and immature ribaldry”. He has said that these “moments of transition and metamorphosis are important in everyone’s lives”.cite journal | last = Crawford | first = A | year = 2003 | title = Bill Henson: Lux et Nox | journal = Art Monthly Australia | volume = 164 | issue = October ]

Henson's intention is to use photography for creative expression. He states that he is not interested in a political or sociological agenda, although the viewer cannot help but relate his works to their own stance on these issues. Henson, however, is not intending his photographs to be authoritative evidence but rather to suggest endless possibilities and cause people to wonder.

Controversies

Images seized

On 22 May 2008, the opening night of Bill Henson's 2007-2008 exhibition at the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Paddington, Sydney, was cancelled after eight individual complaints were made to Police voicing concerns about an email invitation from the Gallery to a "Private View" that depicted a photographic image of a nude 13-year old girl. Hetty Johnston, a child protection advocate (Bravehearts), also lodged a complaint with the New South Wales police.cite news | last = Tovey | first = Josephine | coauthors = Kennedy, Les; Welch, Dylan | date = May 24, 2008| title = Art obscenity charges | work = The Sydney Morning Herald | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/henson-finds-support-over-photos/2008/05/23/1211183097197.html | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] cite news | title = Gallery: Nude children exhibit shut | work = News.com.au | url = http://www.news.com.au/gallery/0,22056,5031912-5010140,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] . On the same day, Sydney Morning Herald columnist, Miranda Devine, had also written a scathing article in response to viewing the email invitationcite news | last = Devine | first = Miranda | date = May 22, 2008 | title = Moral backlash over sexing up of our children | worl = The Sydney Morning Herald | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/21/1211182891875.html?page=3 | accessdate = 2008-06-16] , which precipitated heated talk-back and media discussion throughout the day. In the process of removing the images from the Gallery website, Police found more photographic images of naked children on exhibition among various large format photographs of nonfigurative subjects, which they later sought to examine for the purposes of determining their legal status under the NSW Crimes Act and child protection legislation. [ [http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/resources/legislation/legislation.html Australian child protection legislation- National Child Protection Clearinghouse ] ] Following discussions with the Gallery and a decision by Henson, the Gallery cancelled the opening and postponed the show [Roslyn Oxley Gallery, 'Media Statement', 23/5/08] .

It was announced on 23 May that a number of the images in the exhibition had been seized by police local Area Commander Alan Sicard, with the intention of charging Bill Henson and/or the Gallery with "publishing an indecent article" under the Crimes Act.cite news | last = Kennedy | first = Les | date = May 23, 2008| title = Henson show charges | work = The Sydney Morning Herald | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/henson-show-charges/2008/05/23/1211183060208.html | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] The seized images were also removed from the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery website, where the remainder of the series can now be viewed online.cite web | title = Bill Henson, 2008 | work = Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery | url = http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/18/Bill_Henson/1098/ | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ]

On the 5 June 2008, the former director of the National Gallery of Australia Betty Churcher said it was "not surprising" that the New South Wales Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) would announce its official recommendation that no charges be laid regarding the Sydney Roslyn Oxley9 gallery's collection of photographs by artist Bill Henson.

Ms Churcher says it would have been ridiculous to drag the case through the courts: [ [http://au.news.yahoo.com/080606/21/175vw.html 'Not surprising' no charges laid over NGA Henson collection] Retrieved on 2008-06-06.] [ [http://au.news.yahoo.com/080606/21/1761j.html No case against Henson: prosecutors] Retrieved on 2008-06-06.] quote|"I'm very pleased that the public prosecutor has decided that it's likely to end the debacle because they always do, as soon as you take art into court it never works ... The court is not the place to decide matters of art."

On 6 June 2008 it was reported in The Age that police will not prosecute Bill Henson over his photographs of naked teenagers, after they were declared "mild and justified" and given a PG rating [http://au.news.yahoo.com/080606/21/1761j.html No charges for Henson] by the Office of Film and Literature Classification, suggesting viewing by children under the age of 16 is suitable with parental guidance. [ [http://www.theage.com.au/national/no-charges-for-henson-20080606-2mnv.html 'No charges for Henson] Retrieved on 2008-06-06.]

election of models

On October 4, 2008, Henson became the centre of controversy again after it was revealed in extracts of a book by journalist David Marr called "The Henson Case" [ cite web|url=http://www.textpublishing.com.au/books-and-authors/book/the-henson-case |title=The Henson Case |publisher=Text Publishing ] that in 2007 he visited St Kilda Park Primary School to pick out potential models for his art work. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Henson 'scouted school for child models' | date=2008-10-04 | publisher=The Age | url =http://news.theage.com.au/national/henson-scouted-school-for-child-models-20081004-4tnh.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-10-05 | language = ] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Parents Back School in Henson Row | date=2008-10-04 | publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald | url =http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/parents-back-school-in-henson-row/2008/10/06/1223145239295.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | language = ] [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Gillard attacks artist's search for models | date=2008-10-04 | publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald | url =http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/gillard-attacks-artists-search-for-models/2008/10/05/1223145173695.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-10-06 | language = ] Henson was allegedly allowed entry into the school and escorted by former principal Sue Knight (who had since left the school) around the schoolgrounds and picked two children he thought would be suitable - one child, a boy, was later photographed after his parents were approached by the school on behalf of the artist.

An investigation into the matter was launched by the Department of Education on October 6, 2008.

Exhibitions

A few of his exhibitions:cite news | date = May 22, 2008 | title = Bill Henson career biography | work = The Daily Telegraph | url = http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23741573-5001021,00.html | accessdate = 2008-05-28 ]

* 1975 Bill Henson, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
* 1981 Bill Henson Photographs, Photographers' Gallery, London
* 1989 Bill Henson Fotografien, Museum Moderner Kunst, Palais Liechtenstein, Wien
* 1990 Bill Henson Photographs, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
* 1993 Bill Henson, Tel Aviv Museum of Art
* 1998 Bill Henson, ACP Galerie Peter Schuengel, Salzburg
* 2004 Presence 3: Bill Henson, The Speed Art Museum, Kentucky
* 2006 Bill Henson, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane

External links

* [http://www.tolarnogalleries.com/ Bill Henson] is represented by Tolarno Galleries in Melbourne, Australia.
* [http://www.pavementmagazine.com/billhenson.html Bill Henson at Pavement Magazine] Includes a selection of photographs.
* [http://www.roslynoxley9.com.au/artists/18/Bill_Henson/ Bill Henson at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery] includes an extensive collection of photographs.
* [http://www.nypress.com/18/27/books/travisjeppesen.cfm Bill Henson's "Mnemosyne"] by Travis Jeppesen
* cite web |publisher= Victoria and Albert Museum
url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/photography/past_exhns/twilight/henson/index.html
title= Bill Henson photographs taken at twilight
work=Photography
accessdate= 2007-08-25
* [http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/05/22/Photo_exhibition_of_naked_teenagers_sparks_angry_response Art lovers defend exhibition of naked teenagers]
* [http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=re28HkN39MQ Leo Scofield Interviews Bill Henson]
* [http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=2782&cn=166 Review of Bill Henson's "Mnemosyne" by Christian Perring]

References