Art vs Censorship

 

Censorship in the world of art is nothing new. Oftentimes themes that are timely or controversial are altered or outright removed without the artists’ approval. An excellent example of this happening was when the piece “Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A)” by Felix Gonzalez Torres was needlessly edited by The Art Institute of Chicago. The piece depicts a large and colorful pile of candy that is often stacked against a wall. The piece always begins with exactly 175 pounds of candy and the audience is invited to interact with the art by taking a piece of candy from it. As the audience takes candy, the weight and mass of the pile shrinks. This reflects the title within the parentheses, “(Portrait of Ross in L.A)”. It is titled after Ross Laycock, Felix’s partner who sadly passed away due to the AIDS epidemic in 1991. The weight is thought to resemble Ross’s bodyweight before he slowly succumbed to AIDS, so the interactive element is intended to remind us of mortality and also resemble how Ross withered away. The Art Institute of Chicago altered the description of the piece when displaying it in 2017 to remove any mention of the AIDS crisis and Ross Laycock, yet the title remained, which would confuse guests who were not aware of the context already. Not only that, but I believe it was blatant censorship to pander to homophobic audiences who would deem such topics “too political" or “woke”. But in trying to “play it safe”, they only hurt and offended the very group the piece was made by a member of and that it represented. Fortunately, after a loud outcry from the public, the piece was reinstalled the following year with a new placard that once again included the mention of Laycock and the AIDS crisis.

Unfortunately, this is not the only example of censorship in the arts within the last ten years. In 2022, Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel “Maus” was banned in a Tennessee school district. The school board banned the book over concerns of crude language and a depiction of a nude woman. But while the board claimed they were not adverse to teaching about the holocaust and that they wanted to find an alternative book on the subject, I and many others still don’t fully believe them. Replacing the book in a curriculum is one thing, but an outright ban is unnecessary and reeks of censorship and content control. Graphic novels and the arts in general touch on uncomfortable topics and many of the best works, like “Maus”, help to promote  critical thinking skills. The ban on the book also comes at a time when right-wing politicians call anything that teaches about the harsh realities of racism as “critical race theory", and to many people the ban feels like a result of that. They use things like nudity and curse words as an excuse, but many schools still show nude renaissance art and it makes the double standard all that more apparent.      

Very recently, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off network television before quickly being brought back, once again thanks to public outcry. Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off of network television for making comments about the assasination of the far-right political commentator Charlie Kirk. While he said nothing harmful about the man, many far-right sympathizers and politicians, like Donald Trump, called for him to be taken off the air. ABC (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company), pulled the show from the air. After about a week of public protest, outcry, and Disney being called out by many public figures (some which have even worked for or currently have contracts with the company), including fellow talk show host Stephen Colbert, even went as far as to call out Disney for caving to the Trump administration in hopes they will greenlight ESPN’s deal to buy the NFL Network, Disney put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air. Kimmel was incredibly grateful for not just his return, but for his entire crew to have their jobs back. Kimmel even apologized to any people he genuinely offended and even applauded Erica Kirk for forgiving the killer of her husband. While not a visual artist like Torres or Spiegelman, I include Kimmel here because comedy is one of the oldest forms of the performing arts dating as far back as ancient Greece, and find his battle against censorship appropriate to this topic. Kimmel's return is a powerful and timely win for free speech and defiance in the face of censorship and overzealous control.

These are just a few recent examples of censorship in the arts and the list could go on and on. People instinctively want to fight opinions and beliefs they disagree with, but in countries like the United States, where the first amendment is paramount, it puts examples like the ones I listed under a microscope. Human beings have an incredibly strong sense of conviction and it shows when we decry an action of blatant and wrongful censoring of works of art or individuals. Art is all about self expression, and that includes expressing beliefs others may not like or agree with. But the day we let corrupt governments and hate groups dictate and control what can and cannot be expressed, is the day the first amendment and the true purpose of art dies. 

References:

Velie, Elaine. “Art Institute of Chicago Erased AIDS from a Label, Then Quietly Added It Back.” Hyperallergic, 4 Oct. 2022, hyperallergic.com/765768/art-institute-of-chicago-erased-aids-from-a-label-then-quietly-added-it-back/. 

Gonzalez-Torres, Felix. “‘untitled’ (Portrait of Ross in l.a.).” The Art Institute of Chicago, Contemporary Art, 1 Jan. 1991, www.artic.edu/artworks/152961/untitled-portrait-of-ross-in-l-a. 

Gonzalez-Torres, Felix. “‘untitled’ (Portrait of Ross in l.a.).” The Art Institute of Chicago, Contemporary Art, 1 Jan. 1991, www.artic.edu/artworks/152961/untitled-portrait-of-ross-in-l-a. 

Associated Press. “Holocaust Novel ‘Maus’ Banned in Tennessee School District.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 28 Jan. 2022, www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/holocaust-novel-maus-banned-in-tennessee-school-district. 

Colbert, Stephen. “We Are All Jimmy Kimmel.” YouTube, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert , 18 Sept. 2025, youtu.be/ZdGLJly6P7c?si=GxfoFFAuaW5aL4FS. 

Kimmel, Jimmy. “Jimmy Kimmel Is Back!” YouTube, Jimmy Kimmel Live, 23 Sept. 2025, youtu.be/c1tjh_ZO_tY?si=nr5iTOJvhfGuLPPS.