A photograph of a blue jeans and blouse clad white woman seated on a platform held by a sculpture of a black woman in skimpy leather clothing has caused quite the commotion on the internet. Released on Martin Luther King Day on the website Buro 24/7, the photograph was almost instantly tagged #racistchair, and became the subject of heavy criticism. Many critics of the piece find it equally tasteless that the piece was released on Martin Luther King Day.
Defense of the Artist
A source for the Norwegian artist that created the piece claimed that ““He’s certainly not racist, and used to have a black boyfriend.” Bjarne Melgaard, the artist responsible for the piece, is known for creating shock art. When asked to comment on the piece and the subsequent reaction, he did not directly defend or disclaim the piece, saying instead that the real crisis is global warming. Buro 24/7 would only say that the artist’s intention was to make a statement on racism.
The woman seated in the chair, Dasha Zhukova, is a well-known Russian entrepreneur and art patron. She made apology to anyone that was offended by the photograph, saying that she “abhors racism”. She claims that the photograph was taken out of context, but that it was a statement on gender and racial politics. After all of the backlash, Buro 24/7 edited the photograph, so that it now only shows the legs of the mannequin in the photograph. What do you think? Racist or thought provoking?