A week ago, the Rolling Stones announced an upcoming exhibitions at London’s prestigious Saatchi Gallery, presenting 500 unseen artifacts from the band’s personal archives. Exhibitionism will start on April 6th 2016 and promises to take us through all aspects of the band’s art and design, film, video, fashion, performance and sound archives, retracing their 50-year career. It is said to be the largest touring experience of this kind ever to be staged by any artist, and I am sure it will be spectacular…
However, months ahead of the grand opening, there is a problem with the poster promoting the exhibit. It was actually banned on the London underground and at bus stops around the city until! Really? Do people find this shocking in 2015? How can the Rolling Stones logo placed on a woman’s crotch be still regarded as obscene? Too subjective?
The poster was created by British designer Mark Norton, with help from Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts, but according to the Guardian, when the posted was submitted to Exterion Media, which regulates advertisements on the tube, and Clear Channel, a regulator for bus shelters, the poster was declared not suitable.
‘We are dumbfounded and perplexed at this rather silly decision. Perhaps something to do with the fact that it’s the Rolling Stones and controversy still seems to follow them everywhere,’ declared a spokesperson for the Rolling Stones.
There’s not even nudity, and yes it’s subjective, but it is not even a real picture. The most bizarre thing is that the poster was banned at these specific places but will be shown everywhere else, so you have to wonder who are these prudish people running the London tube and the bus system, honestly, are they Amish? I could show you a million of album art covers that are more offensive.
As a result they have edited the poster, and put the mouth and lips on the bellybutton of the woman… A spokesperson for Clear Channel said: ‘When we saw the artwork we suggested to the client that it may not be approved in its current form and they removed the artwork, shifting the mouth slightly further up the body. This decision was reached quickly and amicably.’
Because this makes a big difference? Now it looks like the lips are trying to slip under the bikini! These people are just fools, stupid fools.
