“Insufficient Artistic Merit” at Frieze Art Fair

“An artwork intended to be a commentary on the smoking ban may never see the light of day – because of the smoking ban. US artist Norma Jeane…wanted to create three transparent booths, each just big enough for one person to stand in and smoke.”

Jeane “intended to highlight the fact that the once social activity of smoking has been transformed through legislation into an antisocial act. The Straight Story, as the work is titled, was commissioned by Frieze, one of the biggest art fairs in the world[.] Members of the public were to be invited to smoke inside the booths, which would stand within the Frieze tents. But Westminster council has rejected an application for the ‘smoking booth’ art installation on the grounds that it has insufficient ‘artistic merit’.” More from The Guardian here.