After reading this article by Anthony Downey, he brings up many points of different works of art that seem to have collaborated and taken advantage of people who are currently, or who have lived through something horrific that the artist is trying to bring to the attention of the public. Downey brings up many points on how and when an artist should consider the ethics of the art they are producing. For example, Downey talks about Olaf Breuning's film, Home, where a photograph was taken of children in poor living conditions in Ghana, all holding up twenty dollar bills that were thrown at them from Breuning. Downey suggests that this "calls for an ethics of engagement that would see a form of ethico-political praxis emerging in this work rather than a restatement of the obvious". Another insight brought to light from the text was the question Downey poses, "can we articulate an ethics of engagement that takes into account a formal aesthetic that has more to do with the naive expression of incredulity on behalf of the artist...deployment of documentary-like objectivity and a general air of faux haplessness in the face of overwhelming poverty and its social manifestations?" I think we can impose a larger, more wide spread ethical confine. However, I believe that it should be judged on a case by case basis depending on the art that is being proposed. The last highlight from the text that struck me was the re-tattooing of a Holocaust survivors number on their arm. I understand that this artist might be wanting to shock people who witness this, but I think this is too far. Is the person that lived through this being compensated enough? Are they okay with reliving the trauma from this event? With a project like this I feel that someone could have stepped in and handled it differently, guiding it to a better outcome. As Downey suggests, we do "need a theory of collaboration and participation that employs an ethics of engagement". If I could ask the author and questions, I would ask in particular what steps should be taken to solve this problem. In his opinion, should there be a board of ethics? A written code? Furthermore, If ever given the chance to do this work in a professional setting, I would want to enlist a diverse group of people who are well educated on the art that is trying to be produced, so that from the beginning there can be an ethical code. In conclusion, considering the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, I think the ethics that were involved in this are very pure and come from the people themselves who are being oppressed in the LA area. This group wants to provide jobs and affordable housing and for the people in that community to be heard. Their ethics were very much so in line with what they are doing, and came from the people who were being put down and finally did something about it.
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