Curtains for Bain painting cover-up

Otago Daily Times, 14/10/02. By Rebecca Fox

A painting of convicted killer David Bain holding a gun and surrounded by his dead family was yesterday obscured from the view of Princes St (Dunedin) pedestrians by a councillor who said he was acting after complaints from the public.

Cr Belcher taped two curtains to the window of the Community Art Gallery in Dunedin yesterday afternoon to hide artist Judith Wolfe's acrylic, which features David Bain splattered with blood and the words "Who wants to live forever" at the bottom.

He acted, with the help of two others, after receiving phone calls of complaint about the painting, which a Dunedin man has bought for $800. Cr .Belcher yesterday said his actions were a compromise, allowing people to still see the painting if they wished, by going inside the gallery.

But after hearing about the curtains, Dunedin Mayor Sukhi Turner had the curtains taken down.

"Cr Belcher had no authority to go and do what he did, although he seemingly did it with the OK so to speak, of the artist. To leave the curtains up would have breached her rights," Mrs Turner, said when contacted yesterday.

However, Ms Wolfe said she was infuriated by Cr Belcher's actions. She did not try to stop him obscuring the work, as she assumed he had the authority to act.

"In short, they [the curtains] should never have been put there in the first place, as it is censorship of art," Ms Wolfe said yesterday. Postcard-sized copies of the image had sold out, she said.

Ms Wolfe said the work was a tribute to the Bain family. "There was no malicious intent on my part, I had no idea people would react like this." As it was an important part of Dunedin's history, it could not be left out of her exhibition entitled "Legacies and Landscapes". She did not know about the upcoming review of the Bain case: "It is just pure coincidence."

Ms Wolfe also denied it was a publicity-seeking exercise. "Tell that to the people who have taken too much notice of (Joe) Karam. He's the one that is publicity-seeking."

Mr Karam, who has campaigned for David Bain's release, said yesterday that while he had not seen the painting, it would probably fall into the "mishmash" of books, dramas and television documentaries on the Bains.

"It may become notorious, rather from the point of view that in the passing of time, it may prove to be a legacy of a dreadful mistake made in the case than a legacy of what happened."

Otago Daily Times art columnist Peter Entwisle said Ms Wolfe's work was a legitimate art form, albeit one not seen often in New Zealand. "It may not be high art, but it is perfectly legitimate."

The new owner, who describes himself as a small-time art collector, has yet to decide where he will hang the work, but said it would not be above his mantelpiece.

"I saw it and it blew me away - it's utterly fascinating and in an obscure way incredibly disturbing," said the-man. who did not wish to be named.