WHAT makes great art? We all have our individual interpretation.

That is how piles of elephant dung, unmade beds and light switches can be hailed as great works - admittedly not beyond a self-regarding group of metropolitan elitists.

Under this broad definition, the photographic exhibition Shoot, by Noirin Carmody, is certainly art.

It is also offensive, at least to some. The most controversial photograph shows a young child kneeling, blindfolded and with his hands behind his back as if handcuffed, while a gun is pointed at his temple.

It is a shocking image. Both the subject, the imminent execution of an innocent child, and the fetishistic undertones of a boy bound and helpless, have left many viewers distinctly queasy.

Shock is easy. But the artist justifies her work by contrasting it with the glamorised gun violence of popular culture. Whether her pictures successfully highlight our ambivalence to guns is open to debate; as is her use of her young son in such an unsettling way.

However, the fact that her photos upset some people is no reason to ban them.

Censorship of this sort must be resisted. The decision to take off a play because of vociferous protests from some Sikhs was a blow to free speech; the BBC's insistence on screening Jerry Springer - The Opera in the wake of a nasty campaign to have it banned was a victory.

Noirin Carmody has the right to take and display these photographs - just as we have the right to say they are unpleasant.

Updated: 11:35 Wednesday, January 12, 2005