polymorphbodypiercing.com.au

 

Throughout history we as a human race have been subjected to horrific atrocities. We are a world plagued by violence and war. Jung divulges that our collective unconscious imprints these experiences into the dark side of our personality known as the “Shadow”, we are consequently attracted to what unsettles us. Our morbid curiosity draws us into strange and illuminating situations; we end up in traffic jams as a result of attempting to catch a glimpse of a fatal accident. Catastrophic events are plastered across the news on an almost daily basis. Violent video games and evocative films are frequenting our lives. How can we ignore what is ultimately what we’re accustomed to?

 

We’ve seen it in Duchamp’s Fountain. We’ve been repulsed by Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ and outraged by Damien Hirst’s series of dead animals preserved in formaldehyde. Shock value is and always has been, a way to provoke. More commonly in art, the impulse to disturb serves as a political, religious, social or subjective commentary to evoke an intense reaction. However, for others it serves a technical function for the artist to express themselves in a safe environment.
 
Polymorph is hosting ‘Not with a Whimper but with a Bang: the impulse to disturb’, a 3 week exhibition that explores art that provokes a reaction of shock through any medium. Works that are confrontational or that evoke an intense reaction whether it be disgust, anger, fear or even the indescribable will be considered. This exhibition opens on the 13th of July.