Why nudity in art is still subject to censorship by social networks today…
Following the provocative campaign “Classic nudes” launched by Pornhub, the largest platform for pornographic videos and material, we are launching our own initiative that dates back two years, publishing this article written on 11/09/2019.
Fake news, homophobia, verbal violence, racism, threats; these are the types of content we are subjected to daily on social networks. Not to mention the more or less explicit images easily promoted by the latest influencer.
Yet, in 2019, art continues to be censored.
It was in 2015, just four years ago, which in the era of digital culture equates to a century, that Facebook blocked the profile of critic Vittorio Sgarbi for a photo taken in front of Courbet‘s The Origin of the World, deemed “pornographic”; In 2016, Instagram suspended the account of Australian street artist Lushsux due to a mural dedicated to Hillary Clinton created during the election campaign and considered too risqué. That same year, Facebook censored the drawing of the hand of Erasmus by Hans Holbein the Younger. The reason? Because it was “nude.” In 2018, it was Rubens‘ turn, whose works posted on the page of the Flanders Tourism Board were censored for being deemed pornographic as well.
The cases mentioned are just a few of the numerous instances where artworks have fallen victim to the censorship of Instagram and Facebook. A long list that updates daily and demonstrates the limitations of an algorithm that cannot distinguish a work of art from an erotic image, if not pornographic.
Is this misunderstanding due to a simple miscalculation or an excess of prudishness? Do the provocative shots of models and self-proclaimed fashion gurus receive the same treatment as Rubens, Caravaggio, and Courbet?
Following the protest campaign led by the Flanders Tourism Board VISITFLANDRES, Facebook declared that it would rework its algorithm to avoid censoring artworks that contain artistic nudity.
In both cases, the images were deemed “sexually provocative, excessively suggestive” or labeled as “adult content,” thus we were unable to promote them as sponsored content on Instagram. (July 2021)
What has changed
A year later, artworks continue to be censored. The latest case involves the Canova Museum in Possagno, where many of the works it houses have been censored.
These measures are not only exceedingly anachronistic – really, in 2019, is a bare breast, moreover painted or sculpted, still shocking? – but they penalize those who work with these artworks. That is, the museums, and not only.
We ourselves have been victims of censorship multiple times by the company owned by Zuckerberg. Artsupp is a platform that offers over 300 partner museums a promotion and communication service. This service primarily occurs through the publication on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter channels of the activities and works of the institutions we collaborate with.
Being continuously subjected to censorship causes enormous difficulties for museums and industry operators, but also for ordinary art enthusiasts. Accounts are penalized, meaning that published photos are not only unseen but that the content cannot be shared with followers. All this makes it difficult, if not impossible, to properly promote and communicate the activities of artistic institutions.
But what is the solution? No one knows. Some, like Vittorio Sgarbi, president of the Antonio Canova Foundation, have proposed hiring art historians and competent personnel to replace the suggestible algorithm. There are also those, like the Flanders Tourism Board, who have managed to move the Cupertino Giant through petitions and viral campaigns (here is the viral video).
On our part, we have decided to undertake a radical action. Is art associated with porn? So be it.
Artsupp, the largest Italian platform dedicated to art, has decided to don the guise of the biggest portal dedicated to porn. For an entire week, we will highlight all the artworks from Italian museums that have suffered or would have suffered the guillotine of censorship. Content that you would not have been able to enjoy and that you can now find on our site in high definition, raw and unfiltered as the artists who created them would have desired.
Because if it is true that porn can be a form of art, Art is certainly not porn.
Enjoy the hottest nudes in the history of art on www.artsupp.com
