http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060328/ap_on_en_mu/britney_art_brouhaha_4

Quote :

"NEW YORK - Britney Spears will soon be giving birth again — in Brooklyn, as a sexy sculpture that has drawn thousands of hate e-mails. ADVERTISEMENT "This is a new take on pro-life. Pro-lifers normally promote bloody images of abortion. This is the image of birth," Daniel Edwards said of his work, to be unveiled at a Brooklyn gallery in April, months after Edwards' sculpture of Ted Williams severed head stirred up an artistic storm. The life-size pop princess is naked and pregnant, crouching face-down on a bare-toothed bear rug as the baby's head appears on the opposite end. On Tuesday at his studio in Moosup, Conn., Edwards was pouring a mold to cast the sculpture in resin. It'll be transported to the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery in Brooklyn's artsy Williamsburg neighborhood, where Britney the artwork is to appear next to a display case filled with pro-life materials. When some bloggers heard about the exhibit — "Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston" — the gallery was inundated with about 3,000 e-mails from around the world in just a week, split between pro-choice and pro-life opinions. "We also got calls from Tokyo, England, France. Some people are upset that Britney is being used for this subject matter," said gallery co-owner David Kesting. "Others who are pro-life thought this was degrading to their movement. And some pro-choice people were upset that this is a pro-life monument." The gallery is hiring extra security guards for the free exhibit opening April 7 and running two weeks. The sculptor's three children — ages 3, 6, and 8 — helped build the first clay model of the sculpted Britney, mainly the bear rug. "At first, the kids thought it was kind of gross. Yukky. But then, they got curious," their 40-year-old dad said in a telephone interview from his home, which is near his studio. Compared to the hubbub around his art, Edwards' life is peaceful. He takes care of his two boys and a girl during the day, while his wife, a microbiologist whom he married right after high school, goes to work. Then they switch childcare duties while he works on his art. His sculpture of the pop diva comes six months after she gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston — and about a half year after Edwards displayed what he called his "shrine" to baseball great Williams, whose body was decapitated and frozen in hopes that medical science could one day revive him. When asked why he creates art that generates publicity for him by piggybacking on subjects hyped in the media, Edwards said: "You're bombarded with these stories. And there's a thread that winds back to the art. That's not a bad thing. People are interested in these topics, and it works for art as well." Spears' publicist, Leslie Sloan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Tuesday. Edwards said he never spoke to or met the star, and that he fashioned her face and figure from photographs. "I admire her. This is an idealized figure," he said. "Everyone is coming at me with anger and venom, but I depicted her as she has depicted herself — seductively. Suddenly, she's a mom." His aim, said the son of a mother who gave birth to him when she was 17, was to stir up debate about a difficult topic that "is greater than the issues presented by either pro-life and pro-choice advocates." When asked whether he's pro-life, he said, "You nailed me. I'm not saying that I am. I wouldn't march with either pro-life or pro-choice advocates. This is not meant to be political." A Democrat, "I don't judge anybody for the decision they make.""

Wow... I'm not even sure what I think about that... even as a pro-lifer...

And is she... raping that bear rug?

[Edited on March 28, 2006 at 4:53 PM. Reason : no, I don't have an image from the other end]

3/28/2006 4:52:29 PM

Give the sculpture a different name and no body would know its supposed to be of BS.

"His aim... was to stir up debate"

"This is not meant to be political."

I wonder, what kind of experience is having your cake and eatting it too?

3/28/2006 4:57:48 PM

AWESOME!! I want to see this exhibit.

3/28/2006 5:01:48 PM

im sure the dude totally beats to that thing

3/28/2006 5:05:12 PM

Hey, that's awesome.

Let's just paste what I'm sure was equally intelligent commentary from the ten chit chat threads when this happened a week ago.

3/28/2006 5:15:16 PM

from abonorio's thread on this topic in the lounge:

Quote :

"chit chat having done it might be similar enough to the lounge doing it, but since there is also an exact copy in the soap box... atleast there it will be treated with a seriousness thats different enough from chit chat to have its own merit in the realms of politics, art, and other serious discussions."

Of course the seriousness I talk about will only come from part of the people in the discussion, but seriousness just may rear its ugly head.

3/28/2006 5:20:54 PM

doesnt look like her

3/28/2006 5:28:45 PM

if you want to do child birthing sculptures and whatnot, knock yourself out.

But modeling it after britney spears, especially without her consent (because i'm sure she's refuse if asked.... well i dunno, maybe she's really wants to get back in the news), is just fucking creepy.
Especially letting your 3 children help - a bit sick there.....

3/28/2006 5:42:05 PM

Sexy statue?

Sexy?

SEXY?!?!?!?

It looks like a horse taking a dump.

As far as it not being political, it's fairly obvious that that was BS.

3/28/2006 6:02:03 PM

The only stir that should've been caused by this is how a professional artist made such a shitty approximation of her likeness.

I hope no one paid more than a grand or two for this thing.

[Edited on March 28, 2006 at 6:10 PM. Reason : ...]

3/28/2006 6:10:03 PM

^^ you would stick it in that.

3/28/2006 6:12:05 PM

^ How could you? You'd keep poking that baby in the head.

3/28/2006 6:28:02 PM

no, you wouldnt.

3/28/2006 6:29:56 PM

Quote :

"Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston"

AHAHAHAHHAHAHH!!!

3/28/2006 8:31:01 PM

Perhaps we could avoid all the protests if he would simply rename it:

Monument to Lasik Surgery: Britney Spears Searches for Her Contact

3/28/2006 10:31:20 PM

giving birth doggy style is nothing unusual

3/28/2006 10:34:02 PM

ill repeat my post from The Lounge:

wait...didn't she have a pre-scheduled c-section to avoid the pains of labor? that statue makes no sense.

3/28/2006 11:31:28 PM

EXACTLY....it WAS perfect, right down to the bear.

3/28/2006 11:33:26 PM

... IN MY PANTS

3/29/2006 12:10:41 AM

can you see the vag?

id buy it it foam rubber of some sort...

3/29/2006 9:20:55 AM

interesting copy thread....

3/29/2006 10:07:38 AM

Maybe I'm missing something, but I am just not seeing how this sculpture is going to be good for the pro-life community. I understand the connections (however vague it is), but I don't think anyone is going to look at this and go, "See...that's why we shouldnt be allowed to have abortions"

3/29/2006 2:19:42 PM

This guy is clearly playing a prank on the pro-life movement.

3/29/2006 3:57:41 PM

You could make a really awkward coffee table if you put some glass on that.

3/29/2006 4:02:58 PM

ha

3/29/2006 5:21:11 PM