VANDALISM IN THE PUBLIC SPACE IN THE CASE OF RICHARD SERRA, PRIVATIZATION OF CULTURE AND CENSORSHIP OF CRITICAL ART

Year 2023, Volume: 8 Issue: 16, 129 - 149, 31.07.2023

Ezgi Tokdil

Abstract

In the study, the underlying elements of violence against artworks, types of vandalism, the focus of
criticism of public art from above and below, and the position of government policies in the critical
dimension of public art are examined in the sample of Richard Serra's Tilted Arc and Berlin Junction
works. In addition to the importance of public art and the positive policies towards public art since
the 1960s, the effect of negative approaches such as site specificity (site specificity) law, privatization
of culture and censorship of critical art on violence against works exhibited in the public space are
other important factors analyzed within the scope of the research. However, although the reasons for
the rejection of public art in the audience are classified as lack of experience and rejection of the
unnatural in the mechanical flow, there are many underlying psychological factors that cause
vandalism and turn into aggression towards the work. Among these, personality traits and
psychological state of the individual come first; but it is also other factors among the reasons for the
attacks on sculptures/installations exhibited in the public space such as aggression as an impulsive
act as a result of the unconscious's rejection of the unknown, criticism as a social message, turning
to vandalism as a way of getting rid of the uncomfortable situation, individual's desire to provide
justice due to the imbalance between the perceived level of justice and the level of control. In the
research, which aims to examine the psychological causes of vandalist acts against art exhibited in
the public sphere, through the works taken as a sample; Andy Warhol's 13 Most Wanted Man works,
Robert Motherwell's New England Elegy painting, Pablo Picasso's Chicago Picasso sculpture and
George Sugarman's Baltimore Federal installation are other works selected for sampling from the
universe by element sampling. The study, in which the descriptive content analysis method was used,
is qualitative research in the relational screening model.

Keywords

Vandalism, Iconoclasm, Public sphere, Critical art, Privatization of culture, Censorship of art, Richard Serra

RICHARD SERRA ÖRNEKLEMİNDE KAMUSAL ALANDA VANDALİZM, KÜLTÜRÜN ÖZELLEŞTİRİLMESİ VE ELEŞTİREL SANATIN SANSÜRLENMESİ

Abstract

Araştırmada Richard Serra’nın Tilted Arc ve Berlin Junction eserleri örnekleminde sanat eserine
yönelik şiddetin altında yatan unsurlar, vandalizm türleri ve kamusal sanata yönelik yukarıdan ve
aşağıdan gerçekleştirilen eleştirilerin odak noktası ile hükümet politikalarının kamusal sanatın
eleştirel boyutundaki konumu incelenmektedir. Kamusal sanatın önemi ve 1960’lardan itibaren
kamusal sanata yönelik gerçekleştirilen olumlu politikaların yanında site özgüllüğü (mekana
özgülük) yasası, kültürün özelleştirilmesi ve eleştirel sanatın sansürlenmesi gibi olumsuz
yaklaşımların kamusal alanda sergilenen eserlere yönelik şiddet üzerindeki etkisi araştırma
kapsamında analiz edilen diğer önemli unsurlardır. Bununla birlikte kamusal sanatın reddinin izleyici
boyutunda nedenleri genel tanımıyla deneyim eksikliği ve mekanik akış içinde doğal olmayanın
reddi şeklinde sınıflandırılsa da vandalizme neden olan ve esere yönelik saldırganlığa dönüşen altta
yatan pek çok psikolojik etken söz konusudur. Bunlar arasında kişilik özellikleri ve bireyin psikolojik
durumu başta gelirken, bilinçaltının bilinmeyeni reddinin sonucunda dürtüsel bir eylem olarak
saldırganlaşma, toplumsal bir ileti olarak eleştiri, rahatsızlık duyulan durumdan kurtulma yolu olarak
vandalizme yönelme, algılanan adalet düzeyi ile denetim düzeyi arasındaki dengesizlik nedeniyle
adaleti bireyin kendisinin sağlama isteği gibi diğer etkenler de kamusal alanda sergilenen
heykel/yerleştirmelere yönelik gerçekleşen saldırıların nedenleri arasındadır. Kamusal alanda
sergilenen sanata yönelik vandalist eylemlerin psikolojik nedenlerini örnekleme alınan eserler
üzerinden incelemeyi amaçlayan araştırmada, Andy Warhol’un 13 Most Wanted Man eseri, Robert
Motherwell’in New England Elegy resmi, Pablo Picasso’nun Chicago Picasso heykeli ve George
Sugarman’ın Baltimore Federal yerleştirmesi amaçlı eleman örnekleme ile evrenden örnekleme
seçilen diğer eserlerdir. Betimsel içerik analizi yönteminin kullanıldığı çalışma, ilişkisel tarama
modelinde nitel bir araştırmadır.

Keywords

Vandalizm, İkonoklazm, Kamusal alan, Eleştirel sanat, Kültürün özelleştirilmesi, Sanatın sansürlenmesi, Richard Serra

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• Görsel Kaynakça
• Görsel 1: Andy Warhol, 13 Most Wanted Man https://archiveofdestruction.com/artwork/mostwanted/ (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 2: Robert Motherwell, J.F. Kennedy Federal Building https://aknextphase.com/robertmotherwells-jfk-mural/ (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 3: George Sugarman, Baltimore Federal https://www.gsa.gov/fine-arts?artwork/23550 (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 4: Richard Serra, Tilted Arc https://www.chrisgallego.com/richard-serras-tilted-arc/ (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 5: Richard Serra, Tilted Arc https://metropolismag.com/viewpoints/conversations-aboutsculpture-excerpt-foster-serra/ (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 6: Richard Serra, Tilted Arc https://nickkahler.tumblr.com/post/63378392062 (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 7: Richard Serra, Berlin Junction https://amidstinterpretation.wordpress.com/2012 /03/08/berlin-junction/ (Erişim Tarihi: 23.03.2023).
• Görsel 8: Richard Serra, Berlin Junction (detail) https://www.artdamagedbook.com/blog/ richardserra-berlin-junction-1988-spraypaint (Erişim: Tarihi 23.03.2023).