So Brett Murray's painting 'The Spear' has caused such a furore in the last few days that I can no longer remain silent on the issue - since no self-respecting supervillain is without an opinion on everything.
The painting (on display at the Goodman Gallery) initially caused a storm of media frenzy & debate within the country due to it's depiction of President Jacob Zuma in all his 'glory' - not only does the painting portray Zuma in a fashion similar to an iconic poster of Lenin, but Jay-Z's ahem, 'manhood' is exposed for all to see.
So naturally loads of people kicked up a fuss about the painting, including the ANC & President Zuma himself - who claims that the painting depicts him as "a philanderer and a womaniser" & makes a mockery of his office.
At this point in time it is worth pointing out that Jay-Z has been married 6 times, currently has 4 wives & a fiancée, and also has had a couple of kids out of wedlock with a bunch of other women. Then there's also the issue of all the comments he made during his infamous rape trial...
So naturally, 'The Spear' is a rather appropriate title for the painting, which is part of Murray's 'Hail to the Thief II' exhibition at the gallery.
The ANC threatened to take legal action against the Goodman Gallery in the Johannesburg High Court, after their request to have the exhibition censored, was denied by the gallery.
Of course, all the furore has merely added to the popularity of the painting, with people queuing just to get a first-hand view of the painting. Which no doubt has irked the ANC & the critics further. And there have been plenty of critics, some of which have really outdone themselves - including Enoch Mthembu of the Nazareth Baptist Church, who said that Murray "deserves to be stoned to death" no less! Because that's what people do in a civilised, democratic country where everyone has the right to express their opinion...
Mthembu's other comments are worth a read & a good laugh.
My personal favourite is his statement that "art does not allow people to insult others", which clearly betrays the fact that his art 'collection' probably consists of a bunch of unopened Paint By Numbers kits in a dusty cupboard somewhere in his house, alongside his collection of Colour-In books & crayons.
Now the painting is set to explode virally after it was deliberately defaced by a bunch of morons, who crudely painted over the painting on morning of the 22nd of May.
The perpetrators have been arrested, but of course it is too late - numerous photographers & videographers have taken footage of the painting & there are loads of pictures online already.
So unfortunately this is one of those things that is just not going to go quietly - it's already becoming a phenomenon & is increasingly drawing attention both in South Africa & internationally.
This is definitely not what the ANC & President Zuma wanted. In fact, they're probably kicking themselves right now about how they've handled the whole situation. If they'd just ignored it & let it go quietly, the novelty would've worn off quickly & it would've been old news within a week.
Now this is set to garner attention for years to come, reminding not only the nation, but people all over the world, that Jacob Zuma and his image, really was a spear of the nation!
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