warhol throws his silver wig into the ring

Kez, the boy who sends us notes from the lobby of the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, sends this link to the museums guestbook, and suggests that we check it out. It seems as though some people arent too happy that the museum is launching a show of the torture photos taken at Iraqs Abu Ghraib prison. As the Heinz Endowment (run by John Kerrys wife, Teresa Heinz) is a major benefactor of the museum, its not surprising that people are calling foul Heres how the Warhol Museum explains/justifies the show:

In an effort to thoughtfully and critically respond to current world events, The Warhol will present this small exhibition focused the digital photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Through photographic reproductions, interpretive text panels, newspaper headlines and historical materials, the exhibition will offer a look at the extraordinary impact that amateur digital photographs have had on the public’s view of the Iraq War, and the human rights issues that this technology exposed at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere. Transmitted over the Internet, the digital photographs from Abu Ghraib prison made the public aware of shocking human rights abuses and jolted international and American perceptions of the Iraq War. They also signaled a sea change in the representation of war through image-making technology. In addition to traditional means of media coverage, society is now able to see the Iraq conflict through the eyes of the men and women who were empowered to fight in. In keeping with The Warhol’s mission to be a “vital forum” for dialogue around contemporary issues, the exhibition will explore and present a diverse range of viewpoints on the meaning and significant of the photographs, the power of images, and the many relevant perspectives surrounding this very contemporary issue.

I don’t know what to think, but it is probably worth noting that Pennsylvania is a swing state.

(If I knew how, I’d have taken an Abu Ghraib photo and given it the multiple Warhol silk screen treatment at this point in the post. It would have made this entry about a thousand times better.)