If it were Darker.

A friend of mine once said, when asked why she always wore black, that it was only because there wasn't a darker colour.I still smile when I think how they misunderstood her preference for the dark colour, and naturally asumed that she was either 'troubled' or a Goth. Some wiseass conspirators even rumoured her to be a drug pusher.

In fact she was a very intelligent woman, who had a deliberate affection for those with little education. As if they were playthings, not unlike a cat might toy with a mouse until it has died from pure exhaustion.

Less educated meant anyone silly enough not to understand the benefits of having passed matric with distinction and then continued to pursue a higher education at University. She would never dream of stopping there. After completing her second Honours degree she's currently residing in Paris, having already registered for her next degree at the Sorbonne in 2008. I think of her as I contemplate mainstream society's misconceptions.

But, as much as I'd love to tell you more about this wonderful woman, it is not the subject of the article which I meant to write. It's only a drifting thought as I ponder the subject of my article.

And what I do wish to write about is society's misconception of certain mediums of Art and the witch hunt that plays itself out by the damning to Hell, all those who create visual and sometimes tangible evidence of mankinds' darker psyche.

Bear with me as I attempt to offer my insight into society's fears of, and the alternate trebulation experienced by, 'Underground Artists'. I could start my analysis by offering Graffitti artists as an acceptable entry into underground art, but I'd rather dunk you in fire and dose you off with some petrol, so that we can jump right in with the shock factor.

As a means to a start I offer you an illustration by renowned underground artist Trevor Brown.

After the innitial shock, you might have taken a more analytical look, and perhaps drawn some conclusion as to what message (if any) the artist wished to convey. I for one, have not read the background on Trevor Brown, nor have I analysed his work in great detail. I merely wish to use a medium of underground art to get my point across.

Yes, my eye was drawn to the fact that the girl is very young and surrounded by an assortment of sex toys and an enormous amount of phalic symbols. I tried to make word of the different letters and numbers, and then tried to 'get the message' as you might have (if you're still here).

The one-eyed Mickey Mouse obviously (to me) refers to the one-eyed monster, the penis. At the same time he's wearing a condom portraying safe sex. weird? A Teddie Bear in a childs arms is normally associated with the safety factor/zone, as it might be with a child that has a favourite blanket or pillow. But here, I see the Pink Teddie as a symbol of molestation, disguised within the 'comfort zone' of the child. The lollipops and sweets can be a form of payment to silence the child or even to assure future 'playtimes'. Even the ejaculating penis is disguised as a jack in the box. A toy, perhaps to comfort the child with the thought that it's just a game.

I could continue and analyse every aspect of the illustration and come to a conclusion that might differ from your view, had you approached the subject matter from a different angle. But, if you had continued to read up to here and even analysed the illustration yourself, the innitial shock might have left you by now and you're looking at the picture more objectively. A few might still be shocked, maybe even more so because of the in-dept analysis.

The message that I'm trying to convey, is that if we take time to analyse or even get to know something better(however evil that might be), we are better able to have an objective view of our surroundings and the people we come into contact with every day. It's an educational journey that hopefully gives us a better understanding why there are both evil, and wonderful people in the world. The name of the above illustration is Nursery Crime. Changes your perception a bit, doesn't it?

However, I leave you with the sad and honest truth.

Girl with machine gun

Children go to war everyday, they're molested, killed and maimed. If we continue to walk around with our eyes closed to the realities of the world, we might never know, and never act against the true evil.

Do not condemn me as evil, just because I made you see.