Before Facebook censors us, we’ll do it ourselves
Swedish photography gallery is latest to cover up explicit work
By Clemens Bomsdorf From issue 227, September 2011
Published online 15 Sep 11 (Museums)
Fotografiska, the Swedish-based photography museum, says that it has been forced to censor images on its Facebook pages to avoid them being deleted by the social-media giant.
The museum, which is devoted to contemporary photography, is showing 200 works by Robert Mapplethorpe (until 2 October). His oeuvre presents difficulties because of its focus on the nude; according to the museum’s spokesman, Facebook “dislikes nakedness whether it is in paintings or photography”.
Fotografiska shows works by many challenging contemporary artists. “We do not warn people about entering certain rooms, but they have titles such as ‘Nude’ and ‘Sex’. We even show erect penises, but from an artistic point of view,” he said.
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