Christmass ecard from Manifesta Foundation
The race for the Green Line as a cultural commodity has begun.
Most of us in Cyprus understand that this division, a legacy which many of us have inherited, confronts us with the residues of an un-welcomed conflict, a time both past and present, of a socio-political madness. ‘Wishing you all the best for 2005’ offered by International Foundation Manifesta imprinted in a moment of nostalgic indulgence upon an image representing this unresolved political and physical division is an act of colonialist madness disguised as cultural liberalism, a liberalism which is willing to submerge and consume the sensitive dynamics of a place in favour of the international cultural object. The “green line” unfortunately still exists as an open wound for all Cypriots. Artists and curators must exercise both sensitivity and caution when using either its imagery or physicality so not to dislocate the space from its inherent political and social urgency and merely exploit it as “cultural capital” for the purpose of self-valorisation.
But then again…
“What difference does it make to create ten happy islands in a world where everything keeps functioning just like before? In this way the institution is not being attacked. Madness is being recuperated, encapsulated by the system and loses its function to subversive activity.”
(Asylum – to dwell in Strangeness by R.D.Laing quoting Dr David Cooper)
Limassol, February 2005
Credits
- Helene Black is an artist and a founding member of NeMe
- Also by Helene Black
- More on Manifesta…
Read more...
The Artist as Public Intellectual by Simon SheikhProsthetic Head: Intelligence, Awareness and Agency by Stelarc
Tele-Agency: Telematics, Telerobotics, and the Art of Meaning by Edward A. Shanken
Environmental Awareness through Eco-visualization: Combining Art and Technology to Promote Sustainability by Tiffany Holmes
Hot to Bot by Edward A. Shanken
The Book Scales by Aristide Antonas
I Am Sorry: The Exhibition Has Been Censored by the Artist by Lanfranco Aceti
In search of a balanced view - by Helene Black
Unframed Landscapes: Nature in Contemporary Art by Maja and Reuben Fowkes
Jelena Vesic interviews Charles Esche
Note
The content of this site is authored and/or edited by NeMe members and other contributing writers.
The material published in this site may include views or recommendations of third parties, which do not necessarily reflect the views of NeMe, or indicate its commitment to a particular course of action.
Copyright
© 2005 - 2008, Helene Black.
4 Comments for "Open letter to Manifesta by Helene Black"
On 11. March 2005 Bas said:
How can you separate art from politics aspasia?
On 11. March 2005 Helene said:
My response is a quote from Luis Camnitzer in "Access to the Mainstream".
"We live the alienating myth of primarily being artists.
We are not.
We are primarily ethical beings sifting right from wrong and just from unjust, not only in the realm of the individual but in communal and regional contexts.
Inorder to survive ethically we need a political awareness that helps us understand our environment and develop strategies for our actions.
Art becomes the instrument of our choice to implement these strategies."
On 9. April 2005 Limassol Artist said:
Political worlds are seldom seen as being fair or for that matter balanced, most of what we see or hear can appear ilogical. Behind closed doors and away from the media is where the real politics are. The everyday man needs to speak out about injustice, to stand up for what is right and if this means that we use art to promote such awareness then so be it. Sleepy hollows just get forgotten until what is there (be it oil or a strategic poistion) is of greater political gain or value.
On 10. March 2005 Aspasia said:
I think that you should leave the matter alone!!! The Nicosia airport is a space which is very 'in' for art shows. In fact we should not mix art with politics.