Seventeen Mingyu’s collage artwork stirred controversy with its “explicit content.”
On March 28th, a netizen posted two pictures of Mingyu’s collage art on his social media. Collage is a technique of art creation through an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole.
And in the unveiled artwork, pictures of women’s faces and body parts, underwear, logos of designer labels, balloons, and words like “SEXY” were put together. On top of that, red and yellow paints are scattered.
The photo spread through online communities. But some started to point out that the work has a message of “misogyny.” They claim that the red paint looks like blood, and the chopped-up women’s body parts are only bizarre. The controversy only grew bigger due to a man holding a camcorder. One netizen pointed out, “This has no critical view of sex crimes, and only sexual objectifies women’s bodies. Even if it’s not misogyny, it’s still uncomfortable.”
On the other hand, others argued to stop making leaps in interpretation. Their opinion is that art should just be enjoyed as art. Besides, Mingyu already showed a similar style in his works before taking part in Seventeen’s album cover. At the time, he decorated it with similar collage techniques. One netizen commented, “Collage is an art technique. So what’s wrong with cutting pictures and attaching them? Also, there are men’s body parts and his own picture. How can you see this as misogyny?”
The Instagram account that first unveiled Mingyu’s art has turned private after the controversy. Mingyu and his agency haven’t made an official statement regarding the artwork.
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