Form & Freedom

the nude male ~ a response to censorship

TONI INMAN

the show  opening reception  pinnell gallery

On the evening of February 12, 2005, the Main Street Fallbrook art scene
was treated to the opening reception of Toni Inman's innovative,
thought-provoking show - Form & Freedom

Presented  by Pinnell Gallery, in the Heart of the Village,
the show was notable not only for the masculine beauty
and feminine creativity of the work,
but for the statement against censorship in the arts

ARTIST STATEMENT

"During Life Drawing sessions at the Art Studios of Fallbrook in 2004,
I happened upon the technique of drawing
the human form on tinted paper with artist crayons.
I began to experiment and thought it might be interesting to someday
do a small show featuring this sort of work
depicting the beauty of the female and male forms

Later that year two incidents of ‘censorship’ disturbed me

The first involved a threat to withdraw business from a café if ‘offensive’ drawings
showing a female with droopy breasts (the ones with perky breasts were okay!)
and a male nude were not taken down

The second was an exhibition of work from the Life Drawing sessions.
It was decided that depictions of the male form showing the penis should be excluded
from the show because children attended classes on the premises and parents
might object, though it was okay to show the female form. In order to include the work,
we playfully covered the ‘offending’ portion of the body with real leaves

After that Life Drawing exhibition, I began to seriously consider modifying my show
to present the male nude exclusively - while some may find the depiction of the male body
offensive, I find it offensive for people to impose their values on others

 As I do not have the funds to hire models, I approached friends for help.
They, too, were disturbed by the prejudice shown against the male form
and a few brave souls agreed to participate in my project. No professional models
are depicted.  They are artists, professionals, a businessman, and a person serving
in the Armed Forces - each making his own statement on the subject

It is a privilege to look at the nude body of a person with whom one is not intimate.
I wish to thank those who granted me this privilege, and I encourage visitors to this show
to appreciate the beauty and determination of those who, like me, protest censorship

With special thanks to Thom Demicco who rescued my project"

Toni Inman

Form & Freedom

the art of fallbrook.com

the artists of fallbrook
state of the artists: photography | drawing | sculpture
art of the festivals | art of the galleries
tourism as an art form

soon come:

the art of shopping | the art of dining
artful lodging | art of the vine
the art of linkage | the art of commentary