Art and Danger

Three heavily protected armed soldiers patrol the spiral staircase of the Musée du Louvre.

Art can be about danger, can be dangerous, or incite danger. This work presents three armed soldiers walking past visitors as they stroll about one of the world's best known places to view art and cultural objects. The composition is pleasing to the eye, yet the risk, symbolized by the soldiers who hold a central position in the work, is ever present. One might interpret the glazed roof as cell-like. Perhaps those who visit here are held secure, entrapped within a snaking spiral, the subtle slow release of its venom: the easy acceptance of armed men in such a place.

Two full size extracts from the work follows: