Well, so much for my plan to buy body parts on EBay!
Last Updated Thu, 10 Mar 2005 09:22:15 ESTCBC Arts
TORONTO - Artwork by a Montreal artist has been removed from an internet auction this week because of the artist's use of blood as a medium.
Last weekend, the Toronto gallery that represents artist John David Margo posted some of his work, which features human blood mixed with ink, for sale on the eBay Canada website. However, because the website's policy prohibits the sale of anything containing human body parts and remains – including blood – the listing was removed.
"The abrupt cancellation of our listing by eBay was unexpected," Sabrina Lee, co-director of the Mariemar Gallery, said in a release issued Wednesday. "We felt that the sale of artwork containing blood was not the same as the actual sale of human body parts. We were misinformed."
David Melnick, another co-director of the private contemporary art gallery, told CBC News that they were unaware of that aspect of the site's policy.
"We didn't realize they have a list – a large list – of prohibited items they refuse to allow people to sell on the site," Melnick said. "So within 24 hours, they removed it, emailed us and said '[we] cannot allow you to sell a human body part.'"
Though gallery officials say they don't consider selling a painting containing human blood the same as selling human body parts, they've complied with the removal. However, they added that Margo is planning to re-create the works using acrylics instead of blood.
For the artwork in question, Margo used blood – obtained from an Ottawa-area donor campaign – and mixed it with ink for use in his series entitled 101 Views of Jerusalem, which explores religious extremism and post Sept. 11 terrorism victims. The series features re-worked pictograms with words, phrases and symbols drawn from the Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths.
TORONTO - Artwork by a Montreal artist has been removed from an internet auction this week because of the artist's use of blood as a medium.
Last weekend, the Toronto gallery that represents artist John David Margo posted some of his work, which features human blood mixed with ink, for sale on the eBay Canada website. However, because the website's policy prohibits the sale of anything containing human body parts and remains – including blood – the listing was removed.
"The abrupt cancellation of our listing by eBay was unexpected," Sabrina Lee, co-director of the Mariemar Gallery, said in a release issued Wednesday. "We felt that the sale of artwork containing blood was not the same as the actual sale of human body parts. We were misinformed."
David Melnick, another co-director of the private contemporary art gallery, told CBC News that they were unaware of that aspect of the site's policy.
"We didn't realize they have a list – a large list – of prohibited items they refuse to allow people to sell on the site," Melnick said. "So within 24 hours, they removed it, emailed us and said '[we] cannot allow you to sell a human body part.'"
Though gallery officials say they don't consider selling a painting containing human blood the same as selling human body parts, they've complied with the removal. However, they added that Margo is planning to re-create the works using acrylics instead of blood.
For the artwork in question, Margo used blood – obtained from an Ottawa-area donor campaign – and mixed it with ink for use in his series entitled 101 Views of Jerusalem, which explores religious extremism and post Sept. 11 terrorism victims. The series features re-worked pictograms with words, phrases and symbols drawn from the Islamic, Jewish and Christian faiths.
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