The artist behind a series of paintings about canine comfort is shocked her work is being classed as offensive.
The exhibition, called A Dog's Breakfast has only been up for a few days, but it is already causing a stir in Whangarei, and there are calls for it to be pulled.
The exhibition is close to artist Joanna Ball's heart. Comprising 16 works in all, it is a homage to the family dog Bertie who comforted Ball's mother when she was dying of cancer.
"He was there on the bed, he was always next to her, he was loving her," Ball says.
But not everyone is loving her paintings. Two show Bertie's penis and that has left some upset.
It is not art lovers who are troubled by the works, but patrons of the cafe next door. Customers have to walk through a passage, past some of the paintings on the wall, to get to the cafe, and some don't like what they see.
"It's not suitable to the place," says Mokaba Cafe cafe owner Angie Deister. "They don't feel comfortable eating here, with like some of the dogs being around, and penises on it."
Mokaba Cafe which shares the wall space with the gallery, says it has received about 20 complaints from customers offended by the pictures.
"I was really upset to think that people were looking at my paintings and not understanding the whole point of them, the point of my pictures, the celebration of dogs, and how wonderful dogs are in life," Ball says.
Nobody One News spoke to was offended.
"We thought it was fine," said one woman. Another said she wasn't offended at all.
"She's showing the whole dog, so what?" said another.
Mokaba Cafe still wants the paintings pulled.
But Ball is sticking by her art and says the paintings will stay.
