Five Artists Officially Withdraw from Sydney Biennale

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    @reka
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    Five Artists Officially Withdraw from Sydney Biennale
    ▻http://hyperallergic.com/111440/five-artists-withdraw-from-sydney-biennale

    Five artists have announced their withdrawal from the Biennale of Sydney, ArtsHub reported today. The action is the latest in an ongoing controversy over one of the Biennale’s major sponsors, Transfield, a company that contracts with the Australian government to manage its highly controversial offshore mandatory detention centers for asylum seekers.

    A group of participating artists — 28 at first, but the number quickly increased to 41, out of 90 total in the show — petitioned the Biennale last week, asking the board to break with Transfield. The board declined, citing both financial reasons and loyalty to the Belgiorno-Nettis family, whose members hold executive positions at both Transfield and the Biennale. In response, the five artists Libia Castro, Ólafur Ólafsson, Charlie Sofo, Gabrielle de Vietri, and Ahmet Öğüt now announced that they will not participate in the Biennale.

    #Australie #asile #centres_de_rétention #demandeurs_d'asile #art

    odilon CC BY-NC-ND
    • @odilon
      odilon CC BY-NC-ND

      We have revoked our works, cancelled our public events and relinquished our artists’ fees. While we have sought ways to address our strong opposition to Australia’s mandatory detention policy as participants of the Biennale, we have decided that withdrawal is our most constructive choice. We do not accept the platform that Transfield provides via the Biennale for critique. We see our participation in the Biennale as an active link in a chain of associations that leads to the abuse of human rights. For us, this is undeniable and indefensible.

      Our withdrawal is one action in a multiplicity of others, already enacted and soon to be carried out in and around the Biennale. We do not propose to know the exact ethical, strategic or effective action to end mandatory detention, but we act on conscience and we act with hope.

      odilon CC BY-NC-ND
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