Re: [nettime-fr] Fw: RHIZOME_RAW: How a fake is manipulating the art scene

["Casseurs2hype" <srmi@noos.fr>]

Mort2rire ! "Label du fake"
On en redemande !!!
Du grand (net) Art.

Merci Alexandre :)

Les cassos2rien
http://casseurs2hype.free.fr/press/nouvel_OBs_dec2003.JPG

----- Original Message -----
From: "nck" <nck@ifrance.com>
To: "Liste nettime fr (nck)" <nettime-fr@samizdat.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 9:30 AM
Subject: [nettime-fr] Fw: RHIZOME_RAW: How a fake is manipulating the art
scene


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Agricola de Cologne" <agricola-w@netcologne.de>
> To: <list@rhizome.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 9:12 AM
> Subject: RHIZOME_RAW: How a fake is manipulating the art scene
>
>
> > [How a fake is manipulating the art scene - a new form of cyber crime]
> >
> > A statement by Agricola de Cologne,
> > media artist and New Media curator from Cologne/Germany
> >
> > ---->
> > "Herewith, I announce officially my disengagement in
> > "Biennale de Paris 2004"  (20 February - 15 March 2004)
> > www.biennaledeparis.org
> > and the cancellation of my participation with effect on 1 December
2003."
> > <-----
> >
> > Cancelling meant taking responsibility
> > in order to protect all those institutions, organisations, curators and
> > artists,  which had joint already my project,
> > but in second place  also to prevent any further damage
> > from my personal reputation as an artist and curator.
> >
> > What was happening:
> >
> > When I was invited on 7  October 2003 to participate in the event
> > called "Biennale de Paris", I saw it as a chance to realise my ideas
> > of "networking as artworking" in the project "RRF 2004"
> > which I initiated also on this occasion.
> > The concept of my project extended the networking ideas of the concept
of
> > the Biennial.
> > There was really no reason to mistrust the organisation of the Biennale,
> > as I had several professional contacts during several years
> > to  a person named Alexandre Gurita, currently the >director< of
"Biennale
> > de Paris",
> > there seemed to be a lot of internationally well known artists
> participating
> > (at least at that time, nearly nobody of them is left now) and, above
all,
> > I had not any negative report about this event at that time, in
contrary.
> >
> > The magic of the name "Biennale de Paris" did not only impress
> > and blinded me, but also all other people who came in touch with this
> > name.
> >
> > In order to give my project RRF 2004 concrete dimensions,
> > it was necessary to fix as soon as possible all technical details of my
> > participation directly in Paris.
> > And in this way, the Biennial organisation and I agreed a lot of things
> > which had to
> > be prepared for that purpose and I fixed a date when I would go to
Paris.
> > And then, I was recently in November in Paris, indeed, and on my own
> > expenses.
> >
> > Knowing, how professional organisations are structured and working,
> > I expected to meet competent people working professionally,
> > but this was the first shock, there was  nothing like that.
> >
> > The Biennale organisation consisted actually of one single person,
> > Alexandre Gurita, who calls himself director of "Biennale de Paris".
> > We met each other in his small and shabby privat flat,
> > as there is no official office of "Biennale de Paris",
> > and nothing we had agreed was prepared, at all.
> >
> > I had expected to view several artspaces (as agreed) which would host
the
> > installation of my project in physical space,
> > to meet professional people at medialabs etc
> > but finally, I was offered one single very poor space, which manifested
> > itself as a disgusting underground space
> > somewhere at the Parisian suburbs far from any public.................
> > It was shocking to see, that this person was only talking and talking
and
> > nothing happened in the end.
> > My visit to Paris was a nightmare and I had to be a tourist against my
own
> > will, as I visited some museums , instead of preparing my art project.
> >
> > But there were some good reasons why all that happened to me,
> > as during my stay in Paris I found out the following by research:
> >
> > Some years ago, the French Ministry of Culture
> > (together with the municipality of Paris responsible for the "Biennale
de
> > Paris")
> > moved the official French Biennale  (Biennale de Paris) from Paris to
Lyon
> > (now- Biennale de Lyon) as a result of the decentralisation in France,
> > and a guy, named Alexandre Gurita took the chance to buy the rights on
the
> > name "Biennale de Paris".
> > When he started to use this once official name for his privat purposes,
> > the result was a conflict  with nearly
> > all official instances as French Ministry of Culture etc.
> >
> > Someone from outside might even  find this story quite amusing --->
> > a kind of Robin Hood was fighting against the Parisian establishment,
> > which is most hated by many people  in France.
> > In this way, Alexandre Gurita seemed to be well tolerated by some
> > people, mostly artists, of course.
> > But the matter is anything else than funny,
> > while viewing all aspects and consequences connected, and they are only
> > shocking.
> >
> > One of the serious consequences are,
> > that the French Ministry of Culture and  a lot of other official
instances
> > refuse any contact and
> > support to the Biennale organisation, as long as
> > Alexandre Gurita keeps the name "Biennale de Paris" as his private
> property.
> > As this conflict is still cooking
> > it must be expected  the Biennale would be closed  or stopped by
juridical
> > order immediately at the opening or even earlier or later.
> > To be involved in such a situation would be a most horrible
perspective.
> >
> > Of course, there are also many events which have no public funding at
all,
> > and many of them are on an high qualitative level, even if they have no
> > budget, at all,
> > but in this case the consequences are very fatal also in some other
> concern,
> > as the Biennale organisation  cannot offer any artist any public
artspace
> > (which all belong to the municipality or the state),
> > but also not any other appropriate artspace,
> > due to the incompetence and the lack of any professional contacts.
> >
> > The legal conditions were in addition completely obscure, as there was
no
> > contract
> > which was settling essential questions as liability, insurance, expenses
> etc
> > and this became also no matter of discussion.
> >
> > But it was also nearly consequent that I could actually not agree with
> > the pseudo-philosophical ideas coming more and more in front in the
> > discussion.
> >
> > In this way, it became clear, why I had to go to Paris in vain ---->
> > in the framework of "Biennale de Paris"
> > there was simply not anything possible on a professional level.
> > What was called "Biennale de Paris" was a caricature and a fake, in
fact.
> >
> > After four days in Paris, I was completely exhausted from all this
> nonsense.
> > However, I wanted to be legally correct,
> > and before I left Paris I set the organisator a final deadline (Sunday,
30
> > November)
> > until he had to offer me a well respected institution in Paris,
> > which would be hosting my project during the "Biennale".
> >
> > I do not need to explain to you, how I felt when I left Paris
> > and I actually did not know, what to do,
> > as I saw not only my project RRF 2004, but my entire artistic career in
> > high danger, and felt the heavy burden of responsibility.
> > RRF 2004 was initiated on occasion of this "fake" and had the magic
label
> of
> > this "fake", and I felt like a criminal who was an accomplice of this
> > "fake".
> >
> > I did honestly not expect anything from this final deadline,
> > and it passed and nothing happened, indeed .
> >
> > But meanwhile additional details underlined the "fake" character of this
> > event as it had become obvious, that  a number of the artists listed as
> > participating and nearly the entire "International Support Committee"
> > seemed to be  purely fictive and a fake, as well.
> > You find there a lot of names of persons who exist physically,
> > but these people do not know about their function in Biennale de Paris
at
> > all, they do not even know anything about this event, some other people
> are
> > even dead as Pierre Restany ( a charismatic and well known person in the
> > Paris art scene), who died already much earlier this year.
> >
> > Then I heard that also other artists who had obviously recognised
> > what the "real" Biennale represents were cancelling their
> > participation..........
> > ........
> > (1 December 2003)
> > ... now the deadline had passed and while viewing all that and much more
> > there was really no other alternative
> > than cancelling my participation in "Biennale de Paris"
> > immediately and waste no more time,
> > in order to prevent any damage from those who joint my project as an
> > institution, organisation, curator and artist
> > and to protect my reputation as an artist and curator from any further
> > damage.
> >
> > (11 December 2003)
> > Was already all this what I explained a nightmare, it was even topped,
> > however, by what was following:
> > Alexandre Gurita took my name and the names of some other artists
> > who had also cancelled their participation, as a hostage and refused for
> ten
> > days
> >  to remove our names from the website of "Biennale de Paris".
> > He manipulate continuously the information posted on the Biennale site
and
> > moved the names from one document to another, it was a kind of cat/mouse
> > game and
> > there was no chance to remove our names from this criminal environment,
> > until I took a lawyer in Paris who took juridical steps against Mr.
> Gurita.
> > On Tuesday, 10 December in the evening not only my name,
> > but also the names of the other artists hostages were removed.
> > This was really hard work in quite a short time, as the legal conditions
> > between different countries
> > (Cologne in Germany/Paris in France) are always complex, but the
nightmare
> > had now an end.
> >
> > ------->
> >
> > There was no other way, but it was also extremely bitter, to inform all
> > those
> > about 250 people, institutions and organisations individually
> > which were connected ever to the organisation of RRF 2004 and
> > ask for their understanding and  whether they would remain participating
> > in my project or continue discussing their participation without the
magic
> > label of the fake.
> >
> > I am really glad and most grateful, that immediately some of the
involved
> > institutions
> > re-confirmed the collaboration process as the
> > National Museum of Contemporary Art Bucaresti/Romania,
> > New Media Festival Bangkok 2004, Folly New Media Institute Lancaster
(UK),
> > BEK Bergen/Norway and some others, so that the damage seems to be
limited.
> > My re-organised global networking project RRF 2004 can now be further
> > developed
> > on a really professional level and can be operating until the end of
2004,
> > as it was planned.
> >
> > signed on 16 December 2003
> > by
> > Wilfried Agricola de Cologne
> > Cologne/Germany
> >
> >
>
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> > //////////////////////////////////////////
> >
> > Resume
> >
> > As "Biennale de Paris" had been once the official name of an official
> event,
> > it would have been in any case most stupid
> > if anybody would have used this name for his private purposes.
> > It was most unlikely that anybody would get such an absurd idea.
> > Therefore all people who  came in contact were blinded by the magic of
the
> > name.
> >
> > Even more stupid and adventurous  was the idea to put this new
> > "Biennale de Paris" on a same level as Venice Biennale,
> > Tokyo Biennial or DOKUMENTA/Kassel, as it had been done.
> > And this all the more, as the pseudo-organisation of
> > Alexandre Gurita has no budget, at all, to finance only the paper for
> > writing a letter.
> >
> > Such an idea can come only from a schizophrenic,
> > who has lost any sense for reality.
> > In so far, such a  person is most dangerous,
> > as he brings disaster to everybody who comes too close.
> >
> > The most frightening thing is, however, that this person, named
Alexandre
> > Gurita, -
> > it is meanwhile not even clear whether this name is true or not -  was
and
> > is still protected
> > by a lot of people, in first place by a mafia-like structure of buddies,
> > and in second place, and this is most relevant, by all those people
> > who know about the matter and do nothing against it.
> >
> > These sponsors listed on www.biennaledeparis.org
> > support officially "Biennale de Paris 2004"
> >
> > Alyasis http://www.aliasys.fr/
> > ARCHISTORM  http://www.archistorm.com/
> > ART PROCESS http://www.art-process.com/ , an empty domain
> > BATOFAR http://www.batofar.net/
> > CRANE http://www.plus.asso.fr/
> > ETNOKA  http://www.etnoka.com/
> > ESPACE SD http://www.espacesd.com/
> > G2J  http://www.g2j.com/
> > OPENAY http://www.openay.com/
> > PARIS ART  http://www.paris-art.com/ , also sponsor of  Musee d'Art
> Moderne,
> > Paris
> > PULPE  http://www.pulpe.fr/
> > STAMINIUM  http://www.staminium.com/
> > SOUSSAN Ltd  http://www.soussancom.com/ , also listed as participating
> > artist
> > 2 PIECES CUISINE, no website available
> > 3DWEAVE - http://www.3dweave.com/
> >
> > ---->
> > Probably, the Parisians are accustomed to such a kind of absurd theatre
> > (the "absurd theatre" was invented in Paris once) and
> > probably they even like the thrill to watch how many people are brought
> > disaster.
> > It was necessary that someone from outside of the French capital
unmasked
> > this theatre
> > and acted  in the only possible way - -->
> > not accepting, not tolerating, taking responsibility and becoming
> > immediately active against it.
> >
> > +
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> > -> visit: on Fridays the Rhizome.org web site is open to non-members
> > +
> > Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> > Membership Agreement available online at http://rhizome.org/info/29.php
>
>
>
>
> < n e t t i m e - f r >
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< n e t t i m e - f r >
 
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