What make a work of art Edgy?

[Sara Star]

What makes a work of art Edgy?

I am pretty sure this word has different meaning in every decade and to every person, but I would like to read what people think.

('He Made Me An Advocate', by Amanda Crooks)

[Sara Star]

Oops, I was signed in as the gallery, not myself. That was me.

[Mat Boes]

That's ok.

Here is basically what I am saying. If the goal of your art is to, for instance, let your opinion about religion be known, then the religious [ or non ] might find that edgy, shocking, outrageous. Whereas the people who agree with you might find it comforting, in a way, that someone agrees with them.

So with the rape picture up there, although it says something uncomfortable, I don't think it would be edgy in any way to anyone who had actually experienced rape, since they would know it from a much more real perspective.

What I am saying is that boundries are something everyone draws for themselves, so edgy is something subjective, just like taste.

[Christopher Sean Williams]

What makes a work of art edgy,
is what makes a joke funny:
its subject borders on [acceptable].

the function of both,
is to break barriors.

[Mat Boes]

I feel like i've read this somewhere before :D

[Sara Star]

Maybe this is a song or a poem and that is the refrain or chorus. :)

[Angela Baumgartner]

I'm 43 (shocking to me) and for me being edgy means that part of it makes people uncomfortable. That's not always a bad thing...sometimes it is very necessary.

My first thought was that it is usually beyond what is considered tasteful for the general public (ie: small children or young families without notice of content) but then I realized that it could be topics in both visual and literary art that pushes the comfort zone. Like domestic violence pictures- bruises or even inside glimpses into obesity or mental illness. Not just the most common diversity issues but anything that the general population wants to ignore or pretend could never happen to them. There's my ideas to add to your discussion!

[Auna]

Edginess is subjective, but I agree with Angela that there is a relationship between "edginess" and a sense of discomfort.
Having said that, there is nothing more tacky than a uninspired and thoughtless image that is a blatant attempt to make people feel uncomfortable (btw I'm not referring to the picture in the beginning of this discussion, Sara). Working at an art gallery, I've reviewed many submissions for exhibits that were nothing but blatant cries for recognition through shocking yet soulless images; those not created from within, but from yearning for acknowledgment from others.
Art is expression, it can be edgy, comforting, scary, beautiful (also subjective), heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and much more. But for me to appreciate it, art must have a soul.

[Angela Baumgartner]

I agree. I like it if something (written, heard or viewed) opens my eyes to a new way of looking at things. It makes me think of something Ann Rule said about not wanting to understand the mind of a serial killer past knowing how to present the information she writes as a way to protect women from staying with them or getting involved in the first place. Senseless violent gratuity isn't appealing for her or me. (I didn't feel that the picture at the beginning was objectionable at all.) Those 'aha' moments when looking at art are great.

Art can be challenging; but unless it ties that into offering more than just a shock to the sense...then it hasn't done a good job. I think good art (like Auna said) has to pull us in emotionally and give us someplace to go with those feelings. I appreciate it most when I feel like understanding what the artist is sharing makes me a better person.
Christopher, I like your comment about art and humor functioning by breaking the barriers. Was reading "How to Write Funny"- and oftentimes humor is successful when it involves the preposterous, the unexpected or an extreme version of something. That might also be some of the description of edgy art that is appealing.

[Jeana Steinborn]

To me edgy is looking at something that you know you should have the common response to and experiencing something more, or completely different from that. For example, the picture showing rape. You know you are expected to feel angry about the scene. But not only do you feel angry but you find a beauty and innocense in the scene as well. And you then feel a kind of shock over it. It illicits several thoughts and emotions that bring out a sense of shock not just over the subject matter, but within youself.