A MeToo installation at Art Basel raises questions about consent
Following Donahue’s tweets accusing Bowers of exploiting her image, a number of the other women who had also come forward in 2017 with assault allegations against Hafford were harshly critical of Bowers’ installation. Many pointed out the irony of an artist interested in exploring the dynamics of sexual abuse failing to obtain consent from sexual assault survivors. Others accused Bowers of exploiting their images for financial profit, as the installation is priced at $300,000.
Writer Abby Carney was among the women who came forward against Hafford, and says that Bowers did not ask for permission to name her or feature her story. “I’m assuming she was well intentioned, but apparently she spent TWO YEARS researching this [project], and never once reached out,” she says. “It feels very opportunistic and ill-conceived.
In response to the controversy, Andrew Kreps Gallery, which is presenting the work in collaboration with three other galleries, doubled down on the legality of the work by publishing an initialon Instagram, writing, “the images in the work solely depict the accused, not the survivors. Each individual print is based on publicly reported claims and the public response…of the accused.”
In this respect, in some ways the debate over whether it was appropriate for Bowers to use Donahue’s name and image, as well as the names and stories of other abuse survivors, without their consent, is similar to a larger debate raging about representation in art. For years, members of the community have discussed whether consent is required from subjects, particularly those who have undergone serious trauma.
While Carney does not dispute the fact that her story and those of the other women are a matter of public record, she says that Bowers reaching out for her consent beforehand is more a question of “ethics,” especially considering the explicit and disturbing nature of Donahue’s image and the fact that Hafford’s name is printed in large font, along with his credentials as a journalist. “I just think there is important art to be done, but this isn’t it.
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