On September 8th of this year, after having his vehicle impounded, a corpse was discovered inside the Tesla of YouTuber-turned-singer, d4vd, whose real name is David Burke. The body was identified as that of 14 year old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was alleged to have an illicit relationship with the singer. Old chat logs and videos involving the two have resurfaced, all signs leading to a predatory relationship on Burke’s part. This perturbing news has resulted in a controversial question dwelling in everyone’ minds; is it possible or reasonable to separate the art from the artist? Can one justify appreciating a piece of media while not having aligning views with the creator? In this age run by cancel culture, the divide between people with different answers only becomes more distinct.
After all of the allegations and scandals that have murkied his public persona, it is impossible to delve into this conversation without bringing Kanye West into the matter. With 13 out of 78 responses from the student survey regarding this topic listing Kanye West as someone they could no longer listen to after all that he’s done, he is a prime example of incredible art coming from a deplorable person. After skyrocketing into the public eye in 2004 following the release of his debut album, “The College Dropout,” Kanye West has been an indomitable force of the rap industry ever since. However, the myriad of disreputable and abhorrent things he has said and done with no hint of shame have soiled his stature as a previously adored public figure. From proudly adorning a “White Lives matter” shirt, to making anti-Semitic remarks, to showing admiration for Adolf Hitler, Kanye West has singlehandedly destroyed his own career with remarks like these. Aside from his ventures in racial discrimination, Kanye has been accused of multiple counts of sexual assault and battery. Because of this, many die-hard Kanye West fans have given up on the futile struggle of justifying his heinous actions. However, the fact that they ever tried rationalizing shows just how incredible the art that Kanye West produced had to be for them to protect it so valiantly. Due to his many courageous genre changes and his innovative production, he was adored and acknowledged by many, having won 24 Grammys in his musical career so far. So, regardless of one’s opinion on everything he’s said and done, Kanye West is obviously capable of creating thoughtful and provocative art. So, with the juxtaposition of his prolific discography and his questionable actions within the public eye, people are wondering if it’s sensible to admire his music, but not him as a person.
Society has been unable to reach a collective consensus on whether or not it is possible to separate the art from the artist. On one hand, people like Elise Coelho from the Suffolk Journal argues that the public can and should separate the art from the artist, claiming that, “once [art] is published for the masses, it becomes a masterpiece of its own,” detaching itself from the beliefs and experiences from the one who made it. They assert that, rather than existing solely to mirror the artist’s own feelings and ideas, art more often reflects upon the nature and habits of the society of its time, and can therefore serve its purpose without relating to the artist. However, on the other end of the spectrum, some believe that the relationship between the artist and their work is too profound to ignore one in order to justifiably appreciate the other. As written by Kofi Mframa for The Commonwealth Times, “Being an artist is a deeply intimate experience, and artists often draw from their own stories to create their art. To remove an artist from their creations decontextualizes their work and leaves it devoid of meaning.” While one theoretically could dissociate the creator from their creation, the personal feelings and sentiments that the composer kept in mind while making their art would lose their purpose, and the piece would feel bereft of human touch.
Regardless of how convincing one might consider either argument to be, opinions on the subject are clearly still very conflicting, the results from the student survey showing a near 50/50 split between those who have and haven’t stopped appreciating someone’s work due to their actions. However, as more and more celebrities’ have damning allegations about them being brought to light, one thing is for sure: this conversation will not be going away anytime soon.