HELSINKI: An exhibition of art inspired by Michael Jackson opened this week in Helsinki with organizers insisting it was not a "celebration" of the singer, still dogged by abuse allegations a decade after his death.
Jackson's documentary in 2018 showed that he groomed and sexually assaulted children. (AFP)
"Michael Jackson: On the Wall" brings together old and new works depicting the iconic pop star and his impact on popular culture, by artists including Andy Warhol, American photographer David LaChapelle and British potter Grayson Perry.
"Michael Jackson: On the Wall" depicts the iconic pop star's impact on popular culture. (AFP)
The show of 90 works first hung in London's National Portrait Gallery in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. It then toured in Paris and Bonn before coming to Helsinki.
The exhibition of art inspired by Michael Jackson opened on Tuesday in Helsinki. (AFP)
The German and Finnish shows come after a new raft of allegations that Jackson groomed and sexually assaulted children, detailed in the 2018 documentary "Leaving Neverland.”
Michael Jackson: On the Wall exhibit in Finland. (AFP)
"We can't shy away from these difficult subjects and we of course condemn all kinds of abuse," Arja Miller, chief curator at Espoo Museum of Modern Art, told AFP. "This exhibition and these artists are not celebrating Michael Jackson, but analyzing his meaning in our culture.”
