Once More With Emulsion

at

This morning.

At the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar, Dublin.

The Repeal the 8th mural by street artist Maser (above) painted over (again) by Project Arts Centre Artistic Director Cian O’Brien (pics 2-3).

It follows the Charities Regulator informing the centre the artwork is “political activity” and that, as a consequence, the centre is in breach of the Charities Act 2009.

Previously: Monday Morning Coming Down

Thanks Aaron McAllorum

Update:

Arf breaking.

Pics Rollingnews/Sauvingon Blanc

Meanwhile…

Hmm.

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74 thoughts on “Once More With Emulsion

  1. Daisy Chainsaw

    Will the Charities Regulator go after religious organisations, threatening their statuses, for involving themselves in “political activity”?

    1. newsjustin

      It needs to be political activity that is not to advance their specific charitable purpose Daisy.

      Not just any political activity. Otherwise no charity would ever engage in any political activity. e.g. Focus Ireland would never lobby for housing policy reform.

      1. Cian

        So the Iona ‘institute’ is a registered charity, in the category of “advancement of religion”.

        Is campaigning against abortion covered in the “advancement of religion”… everyone keeps saying that they are separate.

          1. Daisy Chainsaw

            Iona, ProLie and Yank Defense aren’t campaigning under their normal names. They’ve cleverly set up the equivalent of shelf corporations in Save the 8th and Love Both to do their dirty work for them without the need for SIPO compilance… Or general honesty for that matter.

          2. newsjustin

            Well that’s a different matter. SIPO is not the Charities Regulator. Last I heard, all the main anti-repeal orgs are entirely SIPO compliant and the Charities Regulator had no issue with them.

          3. Daisy Chainsaw

            As I said, the main antichoice orgs aren’t campaigning under their normal, offical names to avoid sanction by the Charities regulator. Niamh UiBhriain can’t get political under the ProLie Institute, so she gets political under Save the 8th.

          4. newsjustin

            Why are various pro-choice organisations campaigning under similar pro-choice umbrella groups like Together4Yes? Similar reasons? Remember when RTE Prime Time asked Together4Yes for information on their funding and nothing was forthcoming?

            If you’re worried that e.g Save the 8th are using funds from other orgs, or doing anything not SIPO compliant, you should send a complaint to SIPO. I’m sure they’re busy at the moment, what with Amnesty Ireland being in flagrant breach, but I’m sure they’ll do their best.

          5. Daisy Chainsaw

            Sipo isn’t the charities regulator which is why “charities” like ProLie Institute etc created new groups to campaign that wouldn’t call the parent group into question the way the Project Arts Centre was castigated by the charities regulator for operating outside their remit.

          6. newsjustin

            Who are the “ProLie Institute” meant to be Daisy? It’s hard to actually discuss this subject of organisations when you don’t use their actual names.

            Most of the Charities you seem to be accusing have as their primary objective to protect the life of the unborn, so they wouldn’t fall foul of the Regulator like the Project Arts Centre did.
            The interesting case might be the Iona Institute, as Cian has pointed out above.

    2. david

      Give it a rest will you
      They painted a repeal the eight mural on a arts centre ,hardly an Andy Warhol painting. they have recited millions in funding from the taxpayers purse.
      Rules are rules

      1. ReproBertie (SCU)

        Was the recitation of millions in funding from the taxpayers’ purse an art thing? I mean was it one voice reciting it to maybe highlight the long drudge in search of money from cradle to grave or perhaps a babble of voices to portray the constant chaos of our cash driven society?

    1. Bob

      All art is political and I am concerned about restricting free expression but I wouldn’t want to see a great big feotus mural either (or most likely the offensive banality of regular old advertising).

      The rules might sometimes seem unfair but I think the best we can hope for is that they are applied equally. Being forced to paint over the mural may actually have generated more publicity than leaving it up.

        1. Bob

          All absolutes are false.

          Art always has the potential to be political, as art is a form of expressing ideas. Even if the artist does not intend their art to be political or express any particular ideas the audience may choose to see ideas in the work.

          In this case the art was clearly overtly political.

          1. Rob_G

            Well-said, Bob.

            If a state-funded organisation started putting up anti-choice murals, the commenters here would be the first to complain, and with good reason.

  2. malarkus

    All art is politics at some level. What’s the point in a Project Arts Centre that doesn’t challenge the status quo?

      1. The Ghost of Starina

        Ansel Adams? Are you kidding?! Ecology and preservation. And Eileen Grey’s work shook off traditional forms in a rejection of the restrictions of the past.

        1. newsjustin

          Are they, perhaps, political interpretations rather than political motivations or inspirations?

          1. The Ghost of Starina

            possibly, but that’s up to the viewer. What defines what is art — the artist saying it’s art or the viewer saying it’s art? What defines the politics of art? The artist saying it’s political or the viewer finding political meaning in it?

            Such is the glory of art.

  3. Shane Duffy

    The Project over recent years has become something a black hole on the theatre and arts scene. To its shame it has been closed on occasions, while this welcome mural was an important statement, it’s inside, on its walls and stages that we should be seeing both sides of this and other debates take place. It’s also time they let a woman run it. Hashtag that.

  4. Sentient Won

    Dry your liberal tears.

    The mural was disingenuous propaganda not art.

    You’ve had the publicity so you’re hardly disappointed

    The board of the Project (whomever approved this) should consider their positions.

    Fair play to the Charities regulator.

        1. Frill the 8th

          Wouldn’t dream of it lad
          Shur’ the more ye talk the bigger show of yerselves ye’re making

          But that regulation can be applied to all registered charities
          Whether they occupy those properties or not

          I’d have a close look around Dublin 2, 8 and 12 if I were you
          Particularly offices, retail and other commercial units, and apartment facilities……

          Add to your outing a sports ground and a scenic walk ….
          Just to make sure there are no posters
          From any side of the Tá Níl we have in front of us

    1. david

      I actually would go further I would suspend their grants for the year
      I would also demand the resignation of the whole board of management
      They broke the rules and must face sanction
      Its called accountability
      I see grill the eight is using my play on words
      Quite the original type

      1. ReproBertie (SCU)

        They were given a deadline to comply by the rules. They met that deadline. No further action is required so you can put away your jackboots.

      2. Frill the 8th

        now now
        play nice

        you wouldn’t want any of those Service Agreements suspended for a year now would ya if the No No Nos were pulled up for the same breech

        1. ReproBertie (SCU)

          Love Both requested equal access to the Project Arts Centre. The centre asked them for a submission. Love Both instead decided it would be easier to complain about not being given equal access.

          1. Frill the 8th

            Well Well Well

            isn’t that a turn up
            Ta Bert

            Love Both probably couldn’t find an artist to give them anything original
            or honest…….

    2. TheRealJane

      How are you defining ‘disingenuous’ here? Your point doesn’t work with the standard usage.

  5. Joe Small

    There must be a thousand other walls in Dublin they could paint this on and not run foul of the legislation. Seems a bit of a publicity stunt to be honest.

    1. david

      Its called defacing public property
      Can you imagine if I painted a pro eight mural on your wall
      I despise graffiti, its anything but art

      1. The Ghost of Starina

        The Project Arts commissioned it. Maser didn’t just come in the night and put it up there without consent.

  6. Gay Tea Shop

    How come the Hunreal Issues is selling Maser’s work as a sticker if this art is in the public domain? Respect lost for Maser.

    Hunreal really should commission work by Mauser, surely?

  7. Alex francis

    A pretty poor populist stunt. I think a no vote would be good thing for Ireland as it might finally prompt women to get off their knees

      1. Alex francis

        The very fact there is a vote on the 25th of May contradicts that.

        And what’s my type? A father to daughters? An uncle to nieces? Someone who took the plane to London and then on to Streatham with a sobbing girlfriend for an abortion myself? Is that the ‘type’ I am?
        You only think you know something.

      2. david

        In Ireland case honestly we must put the cart in front of the horse.
        So many times a total cock up is made by our public sector
        And government to the point of criminal negligence.
        The people have little power to prevent things but we have the power to change our constitution or keep it.
        All laws must comply with our constitution.
        This eight amendment removal if passed removes the peoples power to enshrine the unborn rights, that many people are against.
        We do not know exactly what is planned, and yes we hear they have proposed legislation but that can be just that proposed, it can also be changed ,and once the constitution is changed we are in the hands of who is in power to do what they want
        Imagine if the right to water was in the constitution as belonging to the people, and that’s different than the state for the state is who is in power not the people, which is different.?
        That would mean water could never be put into private hands, without a referendum to do so.
        Imagine if neutrality was in the constitution?
        We could never have our young soldiers put into PESCO which will be the European army and this means conflicts over seas, but we are told this will never happen ,but things change .
        We are told trust us but seriously we cannot trust them at all
        The rights of the unborn can be enshrined in the constitution with certain limits that could provide for the savita’s or the victims of crime
        We do not need to remove the rights as when that happens abuse happens
        Once this is removed we can never go back
        If this amendment is defeated ,they could come back with one that will be restrictive but ensure the women in danger have protection, and the unborn also have protection.
        Ask yourself if savita had gone to another hospital where doctors decided to save her we might just not be sat here with this divisive subject
        I strongly believe those doctors put their morals above king their job and hid behind the letter of the eighth.
        To be frank I would not want to be at the mercy of those doctors, and there is no room for them in a health service

        1. ReproBertie (SCU)

          “This eight amendment removal if passed removes the peoples power to enshrine the unborn rights, that many people are against.”
          Equally many are in favour. We’ll find out which side has more support on May 25th.

          “Once this is removed we can never go back”
          Unless, of course, there is sufficient demand for another referendum. After all, there was no such clause in the constitution until 1983.

    1. mildred st. meadowlark

      While we’re making sweeping nonsense statements then Francie, how about the men get up off their arse and stop whinging about women.

      1. Alex francis

        and what? tell you what to do or show you what to do?? I don’t think you’d like that very much. Would you?

        1. The Ghost of Starina

          So wait. Do you want us to get off our knees or do you want to tell us what to do cos we don’t know?

          1. Alex francis

            spooky?!? ffs that’s what you’ve got?

            women in Ireland will be told what to do on the 25th of May by men like me and more worryingly by the 2 gimps I just had to the door in pink ‘love both’ hi viz vests.
            you might think you’re off your knees but you’re utterly deluded.

      2. mildred st. meadowlark

        Were you looking for me to make you a sandwich? Barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?

        Lol. Sure thing pet.

  8. Science

    Funny how Maser is now the champion of women and their struggle. I still remember the stories about Vogue and him.

  9. Iwerzon

    Could they not project the mural onto the Project’s wall, with a projector like? Or paint one on the side of Bono’s B&B opposite, I’m sure he wouldn’t flip and demand it’s removal.

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