[€uroMeinke]

Hmmm - so many tings to comment on...

Art and human remains - age old tradition from shrunken heads to reliquaries. A favorite contemporary artist of mine, Eric Orr - kept viles of blood (his own) in his fridge for use in his paintings (along with bone fragments). Heck, I recall that Kiss at one point had a comic book of which one edition contained ink mixes with drops of their blood. Oh and what about the preserved skin of certain tattooed Sumo Wrestlers?

On the other side of this equation I can't but think of body wars, which almost painfully tried to defend itself as an "educational" endevour, when anyone who's seen it can't help but think sometimes it's the aesthetic and not scientific which drove the work.

Art and Morality - I tend to view art as Amoral, so yeah Art can be evil, boring, or erotic and still be art. Triumph of the will is a beautiful film regardless of it's promotion of Nazism.

Conceptual Art remaining a concept - There are some conceptual pieces that I think have to be done - if for no other reason that to break down the filter of, "but no body would really do that" - So Chris Burdon shooting himself in the Arm, yeah it's an interesting concept, but making it a reality and providing the artifacts of the event force you to confront it in ways beyond intellectual musing. I guess a good lie can work and may speak to the aesthetic nature of truth - but the example in the OP the lie diminishes the original outrage that I presume was intended.

Art and Outrage - I think many a novice artists seeks outrage as a way gain attention for their willingness to break boundaries, but honestly breaking boundaries for breaking boundaries sake is often just boring.

Art and Communication - I think in some ways art is a subset of communication but it's something that can be apprehended on many levels. I love whimsical art, so often that requires some intellectual engagement beyond offering something "pretty" But often art is intended to strike people on emotional levels - love, hate, outrage, etc. sometimes I can enjoy this kind of work as well, for the way it makes me feel.

Art vs. Craft - I really don't distinguish the two, rather craft seems to dennote a certain expertise in a certain skill or work in a certain media. I think in the past certain arts have been denigrated with the term "craft" (quilting & sewing being a good feminist example) - In this respect, craft is often used to acknowledge a good technician who may not have a greater vision (Usually associated with "High" Art).

Whew, but I always enjoy talking about art.