Posted on 06/14/2005 10:21:06 AM PDT by untenured
By Gareth Harris and Cristina Ruiz
VENICE. German artist Gregor Schneider is claiming a work commissioned for the Venice Biennale, the international exhibition of contemporary art which opens to the public on Sunday, has been censored for “political reasons”.
Schneider was asked to create a work for the biennale by Spanish curator Rosa Martinez, one of the exhibition’s two organisers. He designed a massive 50-foot cube made of scaffolding covered with black fabric entitled Cube Venice, inspired by the Ka’ba, the central holy site of Islam in Mecca. It was to be erected in the middle of St Mark’s Square in front of the basilica.
The work has, however, been blocked by city authorities who may have felt that it would offend Muslims and turn the city into a potential target for terrorists.
Speaking to The Art Newspaper, a spokesperson for Schneider’s gallery in Düsseldorf, Konrad Fischer, said that no reason had been given for the work’s rejection. She added that it was not, however, turned down for “artistic reasons”.
Details of the work were also excluded from the biennale catalogue. Instead a short video documenting the project is being screened in the Arsenale, the city’s former shipyard which houses one half of the exhibition. According to a scrolling text on the screen written by the artist himself, the work was rejected for “political reasons”. Schneider was unavailable for comment.
At a press conference this morning, The Art Newspaper asked Davide Croff, president of the biennale, why the work had been rejected. He said: “the decision was taken by city authorities and not by the biennale. It was not a political decision. It was to do with health and safety.”
Speaking after the press conference, Rosa Martinez said: “I still want to see this project happen. As a curator, of course, I support artists. I am still hoping to do this. Bureaucracy is very slow in Italy and we did not apply for permission in sufficient time.
Anna Somers Cocks, chairman of the Venice in Peril Fund says: “The view towards the Basilica of St Marks’s is one of the great sights of the world and I can understand perfectly why the town council does not wish to block it with a large installation especially since the previous administration attracted such criticism for allowing an open-air cinema to be constructed in the middle of the square a few months ago for the premiere of a film.”
An exhibition documenting Schneider’s project is at the Konrad Fischer gallery in Düsseldorf until 23 July.
The link is to the Google Cache, the original being unavailable. I hope it works.
Oh yes, it must be for political reasons. It can't possibly be that big black box is just FREAKIN STUPID.
It's offensive to Christians to set up a replica of the vile Kaaba in front of a Christian basilica.
I bet it will burn hot and fast....
The guy's a frickin' @$$hatted idiot. Why the heck doesn't he go to Mecca and set up a cross next to the Ka'aba....
It's cheaper in Venice - in Mecca that kind of installation would cost you an arm and a leg . . . and a head.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.