New Works (exhibition)

Artist: Cindy Rehm

Year: 2007

Date of Action: May 2007

Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Subject: Nudity

Medium: Film/Video "Film/Video" is not in the list (Commercial Advertising, Dance, Design, Installation, Journalism, Literature, Mixed Media, Music, Online, Painting, ...) of allowed values for the "Has medium" property.

Confronting Bodies: Tennessee Arts Commission

Description of Artwork: Three artworks were banned, including one in two parts, totalling four videos. The pieces were called Private Action (crimson), Unclean and Devour. Devour featured partially clad women passing an orange back and forth with their bodies. [1]

The Incident: After winning the 2006 Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship in Media, Rehm was invited to display her work in TAC's gallery. Soon after the videos were sent to be displayed in the exhibit, which was to be called New Works, they were rejected because one video contained partial nudity and the others were "too suggestive." While she was invited to submit some of her older work, the artist, suspecting that they would also be "too suggestive," declined.

Results of Incident: In response to the NCAC's letter of complaint, Tennessee State Attorney General's office sent a letter in reply which stated that the nudity and suggestiveness were not the reasons for rejecting the artworks. Furthermore, the NCAC was informed that the TAC gallery no longer held a no nudity policy.

Source:
• http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/silenced-sexuality/Content?oid=1194706