Kurri Kurri High School teacher cautioned over ‘Wankerman’ artwork

A NSW high school art teacher showed Year 8 students an artwork depicting a man who “couldn’t stop wanking.” Take our poll.

A high school art teacher has been cautioned for showing Year 8 students an offensive artwork called “Wankerman” depicting an ugly man with swollen hands and the words “permanent erection” and “can’t stop wanking”.

Several of the girls in the class, who ranged in age from 13 to 14 years of age, were “distressed” and refused to take part in the lesson requiring them to study and replicate the cartoon-style art, at Kurri Kurri High School.

"Wankerman" artwork

The parents of one 13-year-old girl were “very upset” over the lesson, which took place late last year.

They were concerned about the inappropriate content and fearful their daughter had received a negative referral as a result of refusing the lesson. Other words on the Wankerman artwork, which was said to be in a “private collection”, included the phrase “mentally ill” and showed a bright orange circle around his groin.

He also has a “seeing eye dog for blindness” on a leash.

The art teacher had told the pupils it was an example of “toilet humour”.

“This Wankerman rubbish is clearly age inappropriate for 13 year old girls, and very distressing for some who had to endure it in the Kurri Kurri art class,” One Nation MP Mark Latham said.

“Among thousands of great, appropriate works of art the Year 8 class could have studied, why was Wankerman chosen? A teacher like this has judgment so bad she should be removed from the school ­system permanently.”

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said “the teacher was appropriately cautioned in the use of material like this”.

“We have a policy in place which guides controversial issues in schools,” she said. “It remains my expectation and the department’s that teachers adhere to this policy, use their commonsense and use ­appropriate resources in the classroom.’’

The 13-year-old girl who refused to be involved in the lesson had said she was fearful she had attracted a negative referral on her name as a ­result, but a NSW Education department spokesman said that was not the case, adding: “No student ­received a negative referral in relation to this matter. The choice of material for this Year 8 Visual Arts lesson was not appropriate and could cause offence.”