February 13 2000
Bill Curry
The Ottawa Citizen
The interactive exhibit Call Girl was created by Canadian artist Nadine
Norman and features a brothel-like setting in which actresses are dressed as
call girls.
· A controversial art exhibit in Paris that received Canadian government funding shows government waste extends well beyond the Human Resources department, two Reform MPs complained yesterday. The interactive exhibition Call Girl was created by Canadian artist Nadine Norman and features a brothel-like setting in which mostly Parisian actresses are dressed as call girls. The provocatively dressed actresses have erotic conversations with customers who answer a notice on a business card. "It's a way to make for a happy hooker, but it makes for an unhappy taxpayer," said Reform finance critic Monte Solberg.
FULL STORY :-
February 13 2000
Bill Curry
The Ottawa Citizen
The interactive exhibit Call Girl was created by Canadian artist Nadine
Norman and features a brothel-like setting in which actresses are dressed as
call girls.
A controversial art exhibit in Paris that received Canadian government funding shows government waste extends well beyond the Human Resources department, two Reform MPs complained yesterday.
The interactive exhibition Call Girl was created by Canadian artist Nadine Norman and features a brothel-like setting in which mostly Parisian actresses are dressed as call girls.
The provocatively dressed actresses have erotic conversations with customers who answer a notice on a business card.
"It's a way to make for a happy hooker, but it makes for an unhappy taxpayer," said Reform finance critic Monte Solberg.
"It's amazing how the government finds ways to spend tax dollars."
Mr. Solberg said the exhibit shows government waste extends beyond Human Resources, which is at the centre of a ruckus over government spending.
"It calls into question whether any department at all has any sense," he said.
Reform's Heritage critic, Inky Mark, agreed, saying there will always be a debate over what is art and what isn't, but he wondered how many Canadians would support this exhibit.
"I guess it all comes down to the fact that there's too many tax dollars out there and they just throw it around anywhere. Any fool can spend someone else's money."
Mr. Solberg said government funding of the arts tends to favour a small group, even though it is paid for by everyone.
"What right does the government have to fund something that is contrary to the values of many Canadians?" he asked.
The cards for the exhibit are distributed in public places throughout Paris embossed with the words "Call Girl," and an offer for "free meetings by reservation."
Many customers show up expecting to meet a real call girl but find themselves in an art gallery instead.
Ms. Norman said her display is about human interaction, not sex.
Based out of Montreal, she received $15,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts for the "creative development" of Call Girl and for two other overseas projects, including an exhibit in Israel and a show in Ottawa last fall.
Many of the other expenses were covered by private sponsors such as fashion designers and MAC Cosmetics.
Mr. Mark said the display reminds him of an art exhibit in Winnipeg last September that also received $15,000 from the Canada Council.
The display featured dead, maggot-infested rabbits hung from trees in the forest. Observers were encouraged to view it at night with flashlights.
Artist Diana Thorneycroft said her exhibit was "celebrating the gloriousness of putrefaction."
"I wonder if the Canada Council is overfunded," said Mr. Mark, who suggested it would be better to give the money to the CBC or the National Arts Centre.
He also questioned the merit of funding an art exhibit in Paris.
"Common sense would say the money should be spent in this country, so Canadians can appreciate it, if there is anything to appreciate."