An Open Letter from Martin Davies

To: Letters, The Sydney Morning Herald; Letters, The Australian; Letters, The Daily Telegraph; Philip Adams; The Art Life:

Bring back Young Talent Time some say: Well they brought back Hey Hey It’s Saturday. So why not!

I just think it’s a crass attempt to milk an old idea, so as to avoid trying any new ideas.

It’s lame TV in my opinion.
What are the producers thinking?

Do they have any new ideas in Australia any more.

Recently they held sculpture by the sea in Sydney. I’ve been to it a few times. SOme interesting sculpture.
This year . . . .
I couldn’t help but notice the SMH had a cover story about the Little Boy Lost which it featured prominently.

Just one small problem, the piece was an absolute rip off of a Ron Mueck.

Everything about it was a complete copy of his work.

So i ask: how on earth can a paper such as the SMH, get away with promoting a piece of art in a “supposedly” prestigious art show, that is in every respect intellectual property theft.

When an artist steals ideas like that _ without any changes or re contextualizing – there’s a big problem.
This is a problem with lack of criticism in art, and in particular lack of attention to critical writing in the SMH and other Australian papers in general on the subject of art and culture.

This sloppy situation merely allows old ideas to thrive at the expense of any new ones, and it allows dishonest artists top be given publicity when they don’t deserve it!!!

Any way, a big fucking ugly rock won in the end so i guess that is that for sculpture by the sea 2009.

next year to get the SMH to give an online feature, I ‘ll might well consider stealing a Henry Moore from the front of the NSW Art gallery . . . they won’t know the difference!

Martin Davies