John Milley’s “Bad Conscience”
Artist John Miller takes you through a whirlwind of emotions at his carefully curated exhibition “ Bad Conscience” at Metro Pictures. The title of the exhibition is a literal verbal supplement being depicted through the various forms of photography, paintings, video clips, and other objects. All of the artwork was understood as representational based on the themes and basis of the exhibition. The themes of sexuality, identity, guilt, were the most prominent and reoccurring throughout “Bad Conscience”.
The audience was most drawn to the nature of human sexuality illustrated though “Bad Conscience”, but from a deeper point of view. There was a contrast between eroticism, innocent sexual undertones and blatant sexual objectification. Leigh Ledare’s ‘Clementine’ was a printed photo that revealed a naked woman in a bed clad in just heels with her legs open. The photograph was scribbled over with oil stick, that concealed the woman’s face and private parts. The press release read “Ledare asked children to draw over a lascivious image of his naked mother lying on a bed” (2014). It was interesting to see that the colors used to scribble weren’t dark and subdued, but in fact the opposite. The usage of pastels, blue and pink were light and airy, not being overpowering or overbearing at all. It reflected the children’s innocence and the thought of their mother being just naked. Had Ledare asked teenagers, the entire mood of ‘Clementine’ would have shifted due to their lack of innocence that young children possess. Based on their knowledge and automatic assumptions of the act the mother was prepared to partake in, the oil colors would have probably been darker and revealed a lot less in the photo. Ledare’s psychological perspective on sexuality was very obvious once analyzed. The play on color made it evident that formal properties do play a part in an artist relaying a message.
Identity and perception were represented through ‘Little Hans’ and ‘ Mom with hand on the bed’. Aura Rosenberg’s ‘Little Hans’ shows a drawing of a giraffe the boy’s father made. Freud explains in his essay that “once the father finished the drawing the boy insisted he add the animal’s penis” (2014). The child clearly felt that that the giraffe’s penis played a major role in identity, and overall that the sex of the animal was even relevant. Another work Ledare presented, 'Mom with Hand on Bed, presented an attitudinal gesture within the work. The photograph was altered to the mother’s left breast and eyes were switching place, which is actually witty. When the audience looks at the photo, they’re naturally prone to look at her breasts, but instead are forced to look her in her eyes. It evokes an uncomfortable feeling, based on her maternal body language. The placement of her hand on the bed and hand on the hip makes it seem that she is saying “ I know what you’re doing…” or “I see you.” Both pieces possessed two elements within the work that shifted the spirit of the subject. The penis added to ‘Little Hans’ showed identity, and the placement of body parts in ‘Mom with Hand on Bed’ changed the audiences perception of what they initially thought they were looking at.
Guilt was a strong feeling that John Miller attempted to evoke from the audience. Even from a satirical point of view, take Walter Robinson - 'Burger King' and ‘Gin’ for example. Those revealed guilty pleasures to many- fast food and alcohol are two things society constantly criticizes, yet continues to indulge. Frank Lutz’s 'Untitled (Drunk women in public)' appeared to be a response to ‘Gin’, displaying a woman shameful sitting on a curb with her head down and a friend next to her laying down exposing her undergarments. That work appeared to be one of the most relatable to audience members. Not a literal form but the feeling of embarrassment and guilt; either once being intoxicated in public or witnessing someone and feeling bad for them.

The scale of different works did not affect the potency of the messages being relayed, but instead the placement of the pieces made the exhibition visually pleasing. Aesthetically it was not too prevailing or too much to grasp. The majority of the pieces were intended to hold longevity based on the materials used to create it, including the usage of the moving images. The moving images and video clips were the most obvious indications that this exhibition was displayed in a modern world. All of the themes that were displayed through ‘Bad Conscience’ have the power to persist throughout time. If anything the exhibition made the audience more aware of their humanness. The ideas of sexuality, identity and guilt are all philosophies and feelings that humans will encounter until the end of time.