‘Ugly’ Photo Exhibition Canceled for Objectifying Women

An art exhibition space in Shanghai issued a public apology for showing a photo series that critics said objectifies women. Titled “Uglier and Uglier,” the series by photographer Song Ta exhibited at the OCT-Contemporary Art Terminal includes photos of 5,000 women taken on a college campus in 2013. They are arranged in order of their beauty according to Song. He even reportedly named one part of the series “Unforgivable Ugliness.” While Song told media that his work was based on his “universal love,” netizens called it disrespectful and accused him of objectifying women. As many of the photos were taken without the subject’s consent, lawyers who were interviewed said that Song could face defamation charges. OCT-Contemporary Art Terminal suspended the show on June 18, one month before its scheduled end date.