So, we have this thing called “the internet.” It makes it easy to rip people off, like Miami-based artist Josafat Miranda whose took the photographs of Virginia-based Marie Killen, copied them exactly — down the wisps of pink hair, bunny ears and heart-shaped glasses and all – and had them put on display at SCOPE Miami’s Robert Fontaine Gallery booth going for $4,000 each.
This thing called “the internet” is also good for public shaming. Virginia-based artist Jason Levesque also happened to be at SCOPE and righteously spread a handy info graphic showcasing Miranda’s pillaging. It was picked up by New York artist and social media princess Molly Crabapple and snowballed from there.
“It’s such blatant disregard for another artist’s talents,” gallerist Robert Fontaine told Riptide blog. “I completely pulled all of his work. I don’t want anything more to do with him.”
Apparently, Miranda sent Levesque a message saying the paintings were intended as an homage, which is quiet the weak sauce of an excuse and told the blog: “I didn’t steal these images. My only mistake was not giving the original artists credit. I’ve now spoken to them and apologized to them. We came to the agreement that I have to take everything down and destroy it, which is exactly what I’m going to do.”
Yup.
(Image via Molly Crabapple)
the artist did more work than pointing a camera at someone and clicking. photography is not art it's just seeing. anyone can do that.
copyrights are destroying society, destroying culture, destroying the future with utopian patents being sat on. Shame on this sick piece of shit nazi photographer who thinks they own little bits of reality. and can destroy the hard work of someone who can actually use their hands to create something. The photographer does not have any of those strokes or marks or pigment in their stupid cheesy cliche photos. You don't own reality photographers!
the notion that the original photographs were happened upon and all the photographer did is point the camera at someone and click shows that you know nothing whatsoever about photography. The photographer brought a model, props, a hair and makeup artist and a concept together on one day in a studio that he/she paid for, along with camera equipment, computer equipment, thousands of dollars in software and years of education to create these images. No, it’s not ok for someone to come along and make ‘strokes or marks’ on the work and call it their own.