Newport City Council: Allow Freedom of Expression and Stop Censorship of Artists' Work

In 2013, Newport City Council, faced with the problem of an indoor market which has been central to Newport life for nearly 150 years (1) , with traders leaving due to lack of trade, decided to allow artists free use of the upstairs space for studio, gallery and workshop space on the proviso that they do not sell from there. Now known as the UpMarket Galleries (2) , it has been popular and successful, increasing footfall in Newport City Indoor Market and helping traders downstairs, as well as providing valuable studio space to those who cannot afford to rent spaces elsewhere. Regular classes including painting and pottery are held there, encouraging the wider community to participate in the arts.

Local artist Jonathan Sherwood (better known as Jonny), chair of Artopsy Ltd (a not-for-profit organisation aiming to provide artists with free/affordable spaces in which to produce and display their work, to engage with the community as a whole and to encourage upcycling/environmental issues) has been working there since the onset of the project. He has rarely taken a day off apart from when he has been ill. He is friendly and out-going and has many visitors regularly dropping by to see what he is working on. Jonny is one of Newport's most well-known artists locally and a documentary film entitled Jonny: Shaman of Rust has been made about him by Italian film-maker and director Massimo Salvato (3) .

Jonny was invited by the committee running the UpMarket Galleries to exhibit a series of paintings in the central space. They are life-sized paintings on large sheets of paper depicting mainly nude people. The artist used nude images to show vulnerability. Indeed, one of the paintings depicts a man cleaning his disabled wife because she can't do it herself. The paintings deal with sensitive subjects and are not in any way sexual.

Jonathan's work was judged by the Market Manager to be 'obscene', which it certainly is not. It was forcibly removed and suffered damage and he has subsequently received a letter telling him that he has to vacate his space by 30th May. What qualifies the Market Manager to censor art? Simple signs at the bottom of the stairs and in the lift saying that if images of nudity offend you, then don't come up while this exhibition is on would have sufficed and there would not have been a problem.

We cannot allow unqualified people to censor our art. Newport City Council has already shown a philistine attitude to art with their wanton destruction of the Chartist Mural (4) . They have stopped the rolling art exhibitions at Newport Museum and Art Gallery due to budgeting cuts. They have promoted drones manufacturers in the Riverfront Theatre and have had kids climbing on tanks just outside the building (5) . Surely that is more obscene. Please sign the petition and share with your
friends!

REFERENCES:

(1) Newport Indoor Market:
http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=shopping.homepage&contentid=cont218066

(2) The UpMarket Galleries:
http://www.upmarketgalleries.com/

(3) Jonny: The Shaman of Rust: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4552310/

(4) The Destruction of the Chartist Mural: http://www.newport.gov.uk/_dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=shopping.homepage&contentid=cont218066

(5) Tanks outside the Riverfront Arts Centre: http://news.images.itv.com/image/file/456667/image_update_img.jpg