My Explanation
Courbet’s work was a new birth of realism as well as being an image of woman-hood that although once pornography is now seen as art. However London’s commercial flagmakers did not see it that way and all declined to manufacture a flag with it on, on my behalf.
Proposed United Nations Flag (in light of Amstell’s ‘Numb’): Rejected, 2013
Printed emails framed with an engraving of 'Ceci n'est pas un drapeau'
Detail
The Engraving
Last but not least was overall exhibition winner Alex Daish (BA History of Art with Material Studies, 2nd year), who was awarded first prize for his Proposed United Nations Flag (in light of Amstell’s ‘Numb’: Rejected. Inspired by comedian Simon Amstell’s saying at his last Edinburgh show about how flawed the nature of nation states are as we all come from our mother’s vagina, Daish’s series of printed emails documented his attempt to get Courbet’s once-branded pornographic ‘Origin of the World’ printed on a flag. Intelligent and amusing, Daish’s courageous piece was a deserved winner that inventively looked at the subject at hand.
