A nude painting by a student has sparked outrage in a quiet market town, even prompting a visit from local police officers.
Poppy Baynham, 22, found herself in the eye of a storm over the controversial artwork displayed in the window of The Chair gallery in Hay-on-Wye, Wales. The illustration shows a woman wearing cowboy boots with her legs spread. Pink wool is used to represent her genitals.
Gallery owner Val Harris revealed two officers visited her after receiving complaints. They were said to have warned that the painting could be considered a public order offence.
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But despite the concerns, Val is standing by the artist and has refused to take down the painting. It is part of a larger exhibition titled It’s Party Time, which features work by Poppy and her sister Ollie Valentine, according to WalesOnline.
Many of Poppy’s pieces focus on the female body adorned with cowboy boots. Val said it wasn’t unusual for the gallery to display paintings and drawings that feature nudity.
But despite receiving no complaints previously, the backlash was almost immediate this time around. Just an hour after it was put up, a local woman is said to have stormed into the gallery, declaring: “This is pornography, take it out of the window.”
In a statement, Poppy hit back at the criticism. She said she believed “insecure” women were the only ones with “something to say” about the painting.
“It is sad to see so many women upset by something we all have,” she said. “I think penises can be seen as comical while vulvas are only sexual.
“The reason why I paint the female body and not the male body is because I want the world to normalise these non-sexual body parts that 50% of the world have. If I took it down the whole reason why I do art would be thrown back in my face.”
The defiant statement went on to question why people thought the painting was “inappropriate”. Poppy continued: “Is it because it is not a ladylike pose? Who made these rules about ladylike poses? Men? The world needs to get away from these normative rules and normalise vaginas.”
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We can confirm we have received a report in relation to this and officers have attended the gallery. The neighbourhood policing team is monitoring the situation.”
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