oi wey. the swiss did it again. the embarassment!
in a childish reaction to the controversial exhibit by swiss artist (in exile) thomas hirschhorn the swiss senate has decided to “punish” pro helvetia, the governmental grant for the arts, that had financially supported hirschhorn’s latest exhibit in paris. the pro helvetia budget was cut by 1 million.
dont bite the hand that feeds you, is what they seem to be saying here… how very old school, but dont see how that is a form of censorship?
for the exhibit in question hirschhorn’s goal was to demystify swiss democracy and (right wing) swiss politicians just proved him right with their silly reaction.
some of the objects in the show could of course be considered provocative, like the one piece where an actor is urinating on a poster depicting christoph blocher, the right wing politician we love to hate.
since last year’s election, when christoph blocher was made federal councillor thomas hirschhorn, has stopped exhibiting his work in switzerland as a form of protest.
all i can say is, piss on, hirschhorn. you is abit way cool!
these old farts make such a huge decision over one little detail of an exhibition that none of them has ever seen! now that is the real scandal, me thinks!
Rubbish! The whole concept that a political entity can be offended by art is ridiculous, not to mention the punishment…surely if action needed to be taken, it should have been against the individual who allowed the show to take place. Reducing the budget given to “art”, because that art doesn’t fit with your moral beliefs, is utterly negative…and indeed censorship.
i am still in shock. thing is the senate has been trying to cut back the pro helvetia funding for years, as they would, and they seemed to think that now they have perfect justification to do so…
sooooo very wrong!
Well I think sine the Pro Helvetia is financed from the governemt there are limits. My opinion is that the governemt shoudn’t give any money anymore to Pro Helvetia. Means cut the whole 32.
mio. If private people want to pay for it, I have nothing against it. Otherwise just let it die.
Since pro Helvetia is holding to Hirschhorn, I guess the other artists they support are surely
doing art work which goes into the same direction.
Well scandale aside, the exhibit does not seem so good:
http://panopticon.over-blog.com/trackback.php?Id=71501
i tend to agree. i have seen much better work by hirschhorn. but the scandale did put that question on the backburner for me.