Fergus Cooper
Medium: Acrylic, ink & pastel on paper
Censored by: Instagram
Was there a notification of removal or downranking, and if so what was the reason given?: Yes - sexually explicit or suggestive content. There was no notification but I am used to Instagram doing this to me now so I continually manually check my account status.
What date was your artwork removed or downranked?: December 29, 2024
Were you given an opportunity to appeal? If so, did you appeal, and if so, what was the response?: Yes - I did and the restriction was lifted after a few days
What consequences have you faced as a result of the downranking or removal? Please describe in detail: My work is continually flagged. I don’t believe I have broken any guidelines - I have posted drawings of nudes, but my work is not ‘photo realistic’ and these are clearly drawings. Instagram doesn’t remove the work, but it restricts my account so it can only be shown to followers. This kind of window to the world is essential to artists and restricting me like this is cutting off a part of my business. On this particular occasion I was running an ad on a different post - so Instagram was taking my money to push my account whilst simultaneously suppressing my account
Please write any additional comments: These account restrictions happen to me all the time. I continually appeal and they continually get removed. As well as being detrimental to my practice it’s very draining and time consuming. Personally I feel this kind of censorship is targeted towards queer accounts.
Additional comment on posts flagged in 2025: Since the first couple of my images were flagged I get the sense that my account is now much more closely monitored. I check the account status regularly, and now and again a big list of posts will be flagged as being ‘against community guidelines’. The thing that grates for me the most is that there is no consistency with Instagram’s guidelines - accounts with large followings seem to have no problem posting artworks featuring nudity, but the smaller accounts get flagged, meaning the only way to grow is by taking paid ads. Recently my reel of a visit to the Tate was flagged because it had an image of Lucien Freud’s portrait of Leigh Bowery - this image is (rightly) visible all across instagram, but even when I appealed the decision it was rejected. At this point I ended up removing all of my content and replacing it with drawings of kittens. The account seems to be reset for the moment but I’m extra cautious with what I post now, and it means I can’t share the majority of my work.
Website: http://Www.ferguscooper.com
Instagram: @fergcooper