Oh, for Art's Sake!

This piece of art, Lindsay Lohan child's costume by Trevor Chowning, is one that you would not have seen had you come to Daniel Franzese's "Hollyween" art show that opened last Friday at our gallery. Franzese, who starred in Mean Girls alongside Lohan, got understandably nervous that the cocaine and vial-equipped piece might overshadow the other fine press-worthy art on display, and potentially sabotage his relationship with the troubled actress. But once Chowning got wind that his piece was not in the show, he fired back with a lengthy accusatory statement about how the piece is not so much a "costume" as it is a representation of "the false face the news media has given her." Artists. Always misunderstood. Still, the piece is fabulous no matter what its intent. (Photo by Mark Mauer)

STATEMENT FROM THE ARTIST
I have been informed that my piece "Lindsay Lohan child's costume" has been censored at the World of Wonder Gallery. Please consider this my formal and sole statement to be issued on the matter:

My piece entitled "Lindsay Lohan child's costume" is not a sculpture but rather a piece of interactive performance art that relies on its audience as a necessary element of it's existence. Having worked professionally with many young Hollywood personalities I wanted to make the statement that the public is itself ultimately guilty of nourishing the gossip machines by prejudging Lindsay based solely on the facade forced upon her by "entertainment" media. It is my firm belief that the Lindsay Lohan the public knows is one far removed from the living, breathing, emotional being that she really is.

By including "child's costume" in the title, I allude to the fact that Lindsay used to be revered as one of America's shining child stars before her public so viciously turned against her. This piece is not an attack upon Lindsay Lohan, but rather acts as quite the opposite, a rare defender of her basic humanity. The mask represents the false face the news media has given her, the box is the inescapable nature of gossip, and the various paraphernalia represents the obsession the public at large has with scandal and ruination of it's former idols.

Although the curator of the show, Daniel Franzese, understood the intended meaning of the piece I support his decision to reluctantly pull it from the World of Wonder show. This actions proves that my art has already accomplished it's goal of forcing the audience that has already seen the piece to accept the unsavory truth that they are
guilty of accepting only the tabloid-induced facade without ever considering an alternate truth. Art imitates life in this case.

Finally, Lindsay was only chosen as the subject because she is the most visible representative of all the young celebrities who have been so maliciously maligned in the press. My own spirituality prevents me from judging someone I do not personally know, and I hope my art brings others to the same revelation. My only apology is that I gave some members of my audience too much credit by expecting them to understand the compassion behind the art.

– Trevor Chowning

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