Perth Voice Interactive

THE disappearance of children from art due to tightening laws and regulations is the subject of a new photomedia exhibition by local artist Connie Petrillo at the Perth Centre for Photography.

Public concern over the subject of children in art—especially photography featuring nudity or suggestive posing—has been at fever pitch since Bill Henson’s contentious 2008 exhibition which included a photo of a nude girl (who has always maintained she was a willing participant and who criticises those who’d claimed she’d been exploited).

State laws introduced in response to the furore impose stringent checks and limitations on artists wishing to feature children in their art in any way.

Petrillo herself was narrowly cleared of child pornography charges—stemming from taking photos of her own children—after a nearly three-year court battle which demoralised her to the point of ceasing photography for several years. 

“Within art history there has been a long tradition of the use of children as models but this has all now changed,”

She says the laws have resulted in many artists choosing to censor themselves from even working with children, which she predicts has dire consequences for the future.

“Within art history there has been a long tradition of the use of children as models but this has all now changed,” Petrillo says.

The result is an art world almost devoid of children, possibly “completely forbidden in our lifetimes, this portion of the humanity of art… lost forever”. She hopes her exhibition will make people think about the implications and end the hysteria.

Petrillo’s works communicate her message by creating a sense of distance between the viewer and the photographs of children they view. A key motif is the children’s eyes are obscured representing their lack of personality under laws that emphasise their protection to the point of stifling their existence, as well as the artists who depict them.

She maintains the art world is respectful of children—who are also increasingly cloistered and coddled at home, at play, even when travelling to and from school—and does not pose a threat to their innocence.

Instead, she says politicians and child protection groups who demand tighter artist regulation are cracking down on the wrong sector, having “left unchallenged the exploitation and sexualisation of children in the mass media”.

Cabinets of Curiosities runs till March 16 at the Perth Centre for Photography, 100 Aberdeen St, Northbridge. Admission is free.

by ALICIA PERERA