Art and Guns

"If everyone made a pistol from their own skin, I think they would think twice about using a gun. I think there would be less violence in the world." says Dutch artist Joanneke Meester. If everyone made a pistol from their own skin, there would be a lot more certified idiots in the world. Joaneke Meester, however, has fashioned a faux pistol from her own skin, which she had surgically removed from her abdomen. This questionable piece of art will be shown at an Amsterdam art show next month. There comes a time when rational people must simply state that an artist is either mentally ill, or just plain stupid.

Meester's little pea shooter can't hold a candle to a sculpture in stainless steel by Fernandez. This gargantuan revover was created in celebration of the 2nd Ammendment. It's good to know that every professional artist is not an anti-gun looney. This major magnum is made from stainless steel plate. The grips are welded steel rods and molten brass, painted with clear polyester. It is loaded, like a good gun should be. The bullets are machined brass. The chamber rotates and the sculpture rotates 360º on its base as well. Asking price, $25,000. Coming soon at a gun show near you!


Then, there is the Art of Peacemaking, by Canadian artists Sandra Bromley and Wallis Kendal. Better known as The Gun Sculpture, this piece consists of a number of elements, the central one being a large installation the size and shape of a prison cell (or so the artists claim....prison cells come in all shapes and sizes, including those in our minds). The walls, ceiling and floor of this chamber are constructed of guns, thousands of guns, five tons of guns, from all around the world.
A narrow entrance invites you to step inside and be surrounded by "the immense power of the weapons, and to feel a loss of freedom", or at least the artists hope that is what will happen. Several hoplophiles have reported euphoria and elation upon stepping inside, followed by a deep depression upon learning all these guns were deactivated.
The more I ruminate on The Gun Sculpture, AKA The Art of Peacemaking, the more I think a protest must be organized. This desecration of the gunmaker's art must not be allowed to go without opposition. I submit that the NRA should collect 20-30 scantily clad Hollywood babes (much the same as PETA) give them all Mausers and Kalashnikovs, and a free ticket to Alberta Canada. Save the Mausers!

More pictures of The Art of Peacemaking AKA The Gun Sculpture