Quirky News
Row over macabre cartoon art
A concept artist is facing fury over a new exhibition showing children's cartoon characters meeting gruesome ends.
Patricia Waller, from Berlin, Germany, depicts SpongeBob SquarePants as a suicide bomber and shows Winnie the Pooh hanging with a noose around his neck.
Others show Hello Kitty about to commit Hara-Kiri with a sword at her chest and Minnie Mouse lying in a pool of blood.
Ms Waller, 49, explained: "This show is about heroes and failure. Heroes serve a role model function that reflects our longing for something special, but I wanted to show what happens when they fail."
Other exhibits at Galerie Deschler Broken Heroes feature Sesame Street's Ernie as a down and out living in the gutter and Superman smashed into a wall.
Angry parents say Ms Waller "should be ashamed" but gallery owner Simone Deschler insisted: "The exhibit is really popular."
what do you think?
Davefly Theuniuonflagbrown
Thats the funniest think I have read in ages!
Paul Hayes
They say any publicity is good publicity, and in the art world (I use the term loosely) that is definitely the case. Both Ms Waller and the gallery have achieved their objectives, as this story is now being beamed around the world free of charge. Being pictured snorting a line of cocaine didn't exactly do Kate Moss' career any damage did it?!
Adrian Wagstaff
Every cartoon I ever watched on TV as a child had exactly the same things happen. The coyote in Road Runner was always splatted flat by falling boulders. Have you noticed any owl cartoons on TV, recently? ... That thing is practically mutilated every time kids get home from school to sit down and watch the television.
Paul Hayes
I agree. Why should suicide bombers score yet another victory by forcing changes to children's cartoons? I used to watch the coyote being blown to pieces by ACME dynamite, and it didn't make me want to go and blow myself up!!
Julie Crumpton
LOVE owl cartoons! Lot of fuss about nothing! Lighten up!
Rhys Sage
Why is this news?
Julie Crumpton
Well, its not serious news, its quirky news, clue is in the title?
TheKarmacanic
Yes Rhys, you sound lost! Did you navigate yourself to this page by mistake?
Matthew Stoner
I see the 2 resident "comedians" are in ...........
TheKarmacanic
Excellent! Modern art should try to push the boundaries and be controversial wherever possible!
Richard New
No, it shouldn't. This is why we're saddled with the talentless Daniel Edwards and his sculptures of a topless Hillary Clinton, and Britney Spears giving birth. Pushing boundaries and generating controversy mean absolutely zero, and absolute zero is what this brainless exhibition offers.
Read Mind
This is disturbing and not in the same context as road runner or tom & jerry. Imagine kids buying in to this to then trying these ugly antics out on ther friends or siblings with horrifying results.
TheKarmacanic
Don't be ridiculous!
Dave Williams
Why is it disturbing? It is expressionist art, and whilst I am not saying it is my taste, I think the artist has a right to express as they visualise. Noboby is hurt by it, the offended sensibilities are adults, not kids, who see worse watching Itchy and Scratchy in the Simpsons.
movvi
It's just strange at worst.
Julie Crumpton
What ....you mean like when kids used to play " cowboys and indians?".......dont be silly!
movvi
I always think that anything which has to be explained in such detail for people to understand its message is really a bit pap! Also I think art should be original - this fool didn't design Spongebob! Bet the copyrighters will be baying for blood. Equally, I am aghast that parents think the woman should be "ashamed" - if your kids go to the exhibition then they will be looking at the objects as "art" and expected to understand the meaning. If they are too young (or uninterested!), then just let them watch the cartoon. They're not going to bump into these images on the school bus!
Matthew Stoner
Personally I got no problem with this, but I wonder if she went to the same "art" school as the German Lad and his Iranian mate who are planning to behead a sheep........in the name of "Expressionist Art", of course........
Eric Clutterbean
12:44pm on 27/4/2012
my art showing artists swimming in sewage and lying face down in a cow pat represents the values of art today and how people with no talent can become famous
Nicola Anderson
1:57pm on 27/4/2012
and justwhat have you contrubuted to the artistic community? People who complian like that have most likely never evenpicked up a brush in their life. Those who can, do. Those who can't, review.
movvi
2:16pm on 29/4/2012
Ha ha ha!