Exploring the Legality of Artists’ Use of Animals: Ethical Considerations and Legal Implications

Author:

Coetser Yolandi M.1

Affiliation:

1. School of Philosophy, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa

Abstract

A burgeoning field of literature considers animal law, the status of animals as legal objects, the protection of animals in laboratories, wild animals, etc. One aspect not often considered in the literature is the intersection between animal law and freedom of speech and, more specifically, the freedom of speech of artists. While these might seem disparate and mutually exclusive, they are not. A small but notable number of artists use, harm, or even kill animals in the creation of artwork. Elsewhere, this practice has been termed ‘cruel art’, defined as “the infliction of physical and/or emotional pain on non-human animals for the sole purpose of creating art that steps beyond the confines of the artist’s right to freedom of speech”. This article elaborates on the concept of ‘cruel art’ by considering animal law and the artist’s freedom of expression. Interesting questions arise at this intersection: Can the law grant rights or otherwise protect the animal from being used, harmed, or killed for an artwork? Alternatively, can the law encroach on the artists’ freedom of speech to protect the animals? There are good reasons to protect both parties—animals deserve protection from unnecessary suffering, and the artist should not be unduly censored from making art. This article seeks to engage with the following question: how can one consider an animal’s legal standing in relation to an artist’s freedom of speech? In order to answer this question, this article first briefly unpacks the concept of animal law and the need for legal reform in this arena. Secondly, this article considers freedom of speech as it relates to artists specifically. Third, it discusses the rising conflict between the legal protection of animals and the artist’s freedom of expression. This article argues that certain artistic uses of animals should be legally prohibited, despite the fact that artists enjoy the right to freedom of artistic expression.

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

General Materials Science

Reference48 articles.

1. Human Subjects and Animal Objects: Animals as ‘Oher’ in Law;Adams;Journal of Animal Law and Ethics,2009

2. Aloi, Giovanni (2012). Art & Animals, IB Tauris.

3. Freeman, Carol, Leane, Elizabeth, and Watt, Yvette (2011). Considering Animals: Contemporary Studies in Human-Animal Relations, Ashgate Publishing Limited.

4. Baker, Steve (2013). Artist|Animal, University of Minnesota Press.

5. Barcia, Phillip (2023, July 04). The (Un)Intentional Controversy in Hermann Nitsch Art. Available online: https://www.ideelart.com/magazine/hermann-nitsch.

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3