Week 5 – Connection

Here I am, sitting in the Atelier Space in week 12. A stressful time but the best news story has come along that made me think about copyright and the effects that it has on individuals.

LINK TO ARTICLE: http://petapixel.com/2015/05/21/richard-prince-selling-other-peoples-instagram-shots-without-permission-for-100k/

Essentially, an artist named Richard Prince is screen-shotting other peoples’ instagram photos and selling them under the guise of art. The individuals responsible for these instagram posts have not given consent for Prince to use the photos, but it doesn’t matter. What Richard Prince is doing is totally legal as instagram is considered a public domain. Prince’s appropriations are considered fair use which I think is a total flaw in the copyright system. I love art and crossing boundaries, but this is just ridiculous. You just can’t blur the lines of copyright and fair use and not compensate the true artist of a particular piece of work, even if it just a silly little instagram post.

RICHARD PRINCE SUCKS