evolution of The Three Monkeys to modern art

The image of The Three Wise Monkeys represents "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

A local artist caught a striking image on camera when photographing a hafgana in Mea Shearim.

What these kids are doing, it seems, was trying to avoid the camera... the artist saw some similarity to the Three Wise Monkeys and entered his photograph into a gallery display under the title of "The Three Monkeys". He didn't even have the decency to call the "wise", as the monkeys are called in the original.

This image with that title surprised and shocked viewers. The condemnations were fast in coming from both the public and Haredi MKs. Racist, degrading, disparaging of the entire Haredi community, etc.

The artist, Mark Roth, defends himself by saying he had no intention to be disparaging to the Haredi community and it was just a call to the original art. Roth refused to change the title, as did the gallery. Eventually they agreed to change the title but denied any anti-haredi sentiments. Roth is a descendant of Holocaust survivors, is connected to the Sanz hassidus, his own son is Haredi.
(source: Mynet)

Anti-Haredi? probably not. Stupid and thoughtless? Probably. Could he possibly really not have considered that people would not see it quite the way he saw it and would not be insulted by it?

And in a touch of humor, perhaps Roth was trying to depict the image of evolution... and maybe that is relly what the Haredi protesters were more upset about..

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