Empathy - a thing of the past?

This is local news - didn't know where to put it.

The National Eisteddfod is taking place in Cowbridge this week, it has an art exhibition, and even without the particular problem I would hardly give it the name art, but that's just me.
There are four 'paintings' by a local artist who is also an art lecturer in Essex, these paintings depict a young girl who was murdered by her ex boyfriend less than two years ago, only ten miles from the Eisteddfod site, at least one other painting is of the murderer, the girl's family go to the Eisteddfod every year but found out about the paintings before they arrived, understandably they were extremely upset and requested that the paintings be removed, they were not, they were covered so that you can look if you want, and warnings posted outside the exhibition. I cannot fathom how the artist could possibly think it appropriate to 'explore how you don't know someone when you know them' or some such rubbish he came out with to defend his work - and I use the term loosely. I wouldn't have his work for nothing, some modern artists are so up their own nether regions to know what day it is.
Maybe this should have gone in the what gets my goat.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-19192234 if you want to check out one of the paintings.