I was reading an article on MSN Music where Elton John admits that he is the owner of a Nan Goldin photograph that has been seized from a gallery on suspicion that it may be child pornography. The picture is of two naked girls and is entitled “Klara and Edda Belly-Dancing.” Apparently this picture has been shown in galleries throughout the rest of Europe without anyone complaining about it, but now authorities in England have taken action. The question arises in my mind as to when and where do we draw the line between art and child pornography?

In my opinion it’s very hard to do so. Especially when I can’t see how anyone would allow their children to pose for naked pictures that someone else was taking in the first place. I mean, yes, by all means, if your kid is being adorable running around naked or is in the bathtub, snap a picture of it for the family photo album and email it off to the grandparents. But to actually take your children to a studio and be used as naked models in photos? Especially ones that will be on public display? No. Absolutely not. The fine line between what is art and what is pornography is extremely blurry and far to easy to cross in the case of children.

I can’t imagine a photographer who would want to take photos like that and expect not to gain controversy or risk accusation of child porn. Never having seen the photo in question, I suppose it isn’t fair of me to make comments, but truthfully the very thought of such a photo having been taken and then displayed makes me uneasy.

About the only point I can see in this photographer’s favor is that she intended the pictures for the entire world to see, unlike with most child porn which is relatively well hidden unless you know where to go for it.

What is your take on the situation. Do you feel that the photo was inappropriate based on the described contents, or do you feel an artist’s rights and artistic license have been violated?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 at 11:31 am and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.