[rohrpost] what's happening?

[Matze Schmidt <schwarze@student.uni-kassel.de>]

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what's happening? (engl. "was ist ein happening?")

Robert Fleck schrieb und rief per mail dazu auf, als kuenstler das land
oesterreich bzw. seine kulturrepresentationen und -institutionen zu
boykottieren. seine position kann mensch auf der folie seiner persoenlichen
history verstehen & akzeptieren, wie auch die position von valie export
oder elfriede jelinek, die ebenfalls diese haltung einnehmen und ihre
arbeit in oesterreich stoppen.
allerdings kommt hier eine krux vor, die das verhaetlnis von kunst und
staat, von etablierter hochkultur und klassischer subkultur reaktionaer
reproduziert. kuenstlerinnen, deren einflussfeld bereits bestimmt ist,
ziehen ihr symbolisches kapital da ab, wo es moralisch nicht mehr zu
vertreten ist. die punk-strategie macht genau das gegenteil, sie geht
dahin, wo keiner hingeht.
rueckzugsbekundungen funktionieren nur in der top-down-dialektik von:
kultur hier und alles andere da, und nur, weil ploetzlich das
sozio-aesthetische moment von kunst hervortritt.

gerade jetzt kaeme es darauf an, dahin zu gehen, wo sich - heroisch und
nostalgisch gesehen - wie zu zeiten des spanischen buergerkriges die front
befindet. soetwas wie "kampf" scheint allerdings die falsche metapher zu
sein, um zu subsumieren, was man tun kann -> artikulationen vor ort!
die demontageversuche von haider im deutschen tv, dem groszen
demokratischen bruder oestereichs, muszten scheitern, weil niemand im
detail befragte, was das programm der oevp/fpoe ist. ein ernstes spiel mit
seinen materialien waere eine moeglichkeit, anstatt die offiziellen
antifaschistischen anteile zu retten. die diagnose elfriede jelineks, die
fpoe und haider propagierten eine "geistesfeindlichkeit", kann in der
konkretisierung der krise von 'geist' in eine realwirksamkeit transformiert
werden.

auf opinion-leader wie andre heller zu vertrauen, die eine intelligenzija
beschwoeren, nun doch wieder mit dem volk zusammenzuarbeiten und den zirkus
beiseite zu lassen, waere ein rueckfall ins gemuetliche elitesystem, das
sich seit 1990 in der brd mit der allzugroszen konzentration auf
kollektiv-subjetivistische technokunst staerkte und das in oesterreich
offenbar mit blueten wie dem staatskurator eine geradezu satirische
ausformung bekam.
das arbeiten von menschen, die kuenstler genannt werden, ist per se ein
kontextgebundener, wobei der wichtigste kontext momentan der protest gegen
neue nazis in a ist - was vermutlich auch nur eine voruebergehend richtige
analyse ist. die frage "what's happening?" koennte durch aktion zur sprache
gebracht werden, indem sie beantwortet und dabei subtiles nicht defizitaer
behandelt wird.

matze schmidt


>        Dokumentation eines Aufrufs von R.Fleck (p.s.: Art is not enough)
>
>        >>Nantes, 2.2.2000
>
>        Dear friends,
>
>        As you know, Austria got today the first federal government
>        since the end of World War Second with a big participation of
>        nazis.
>
>        I am born in this country, have lived there for 24 years, now
>        writing for almost twenty years in austrian newspapers, studied
>        political history (history of democracy...) in this country.
>        Also through my familly, I know in detail the inside stories of
>        the FPOe - a party founded in 1948, after the amnesty for the
>        big nazi rulers, to be a legal cover for their activity. In
>        1986, Joerg Haider took over the party by a putsch with the aim
>        to re-establish these origins, and to rehabilitate the nazi
>        period in Austria, and if possible in Central Europe.
>
>        The actual danger is much beyond Austria: in five years or,
>        let's say, after the death of Vaclav Havel, whole Central Europe
>        can burn in the same way like Austria now. The Czech Republic,
>        Romania, Bulgaria, etc. are ready to follow this political
>        choice.
>
>        Regarding Austria, I am convinced since 1983, when Bruno Kreisky
>        retired, the first Jewish chancelor in Central Europe since the
>        birth of mankind, that this spectacular comeback of the Nazis
>        must occure.
>
>        For contemporary arts, I see only one possible choice:
>
>        1. NO LONGER EXHIBIT OR COOPERATE WITH AUSTRIA
>
>        It has now become absolutely impossible, in moral terms, for any
>        artist, galerist, museum curator or collector, to exhibit any
>        longer in Austria, or to cooperate with any Austrian
>        institution. There is only one question to ask: would you have
>        exhibited in Nazi-Germany? Only with a complete boycott of the
>        local artlife, we can help the Austrian artists to survive. The
>        new government wants to show that "everything is as before",
>        regarding individual liberty. Since 1995, all international
>        known Austrian artists are under pressure by the party of Joerg
>        Haider; anonymous phone calls, Nazi-signs on their cars, menaces
>        to take their children - since five years, many internationally
>        known artists in Vienna are only moving with their familly in
>        the city inside of closed cars. As far as I know, most of the
>        jewish community is also behaving like this, because they were
>        constantly aggressed in the street. During the "100 Years"
>        exhibition in 1998, the Vienna Secession had constantly
>        nazi-signs, painted during the night, on the building; the
>        Austrian federal police refused to consider these facts, saying
>        that "this is normal". The next years will be very hard for
>        Austrian artists.  They all talked to me in the last years or
>        months about leaving the country.  Even half of the actual
>        students at the Vienna Academy were thinking about leaving the
>        country. For a writer, an intellectual, this is relatively easy.
>        For an artist, to change the country is very complicated. The
>        only way to help them, is to boycott the country itself. If you
>        show to the Austrian population that the new government is
>        outlaw, then - but ONLY then - the woters may consider during
>        the next elections in 2003 that this may have been a bad choice
>        for their country.
>
>        2. HELP THE AUSTRIAN ARTISTS AS INDIVIDUALS
>
>        There can not be any preference for Austrian artists, but for
>        you, international collegues, it is just about passing them a
>        phone call or a mail from time to time, taking care of them in
>        some sense, just hearing if they are ok and able to work and to
>        exhibit. You all have very many contacts with Austrian artists.
>        Staying in contact with people ouside can be very important for
>        each of them.
>
>        I was born in this country, and as one of very few still active
>        international critics in this country, I have a heavy
>        responsability. With the nomination of the new government, I
>        announced publically to stop my collaboration for the big
>        exhibition about the young art scene in Vienna (other curators:
>        Paolo Herkenhoff, Maaretta Jaukkuri, Rosa Martinez) scheduled
>        for Oct. 2000-April 2001 at Kunsthalle Vienna; to stop any
>        collaboration with Austrian institutions; no longer going to
>        Austria before the end of the nazi-participation in the
>        government; trying to change citizenship. But I will stay as
>        much as possible in contact with the Austrian artists, through
>        the fact that I have a very close relationship with all artists
>        generations there, from the generation of the pioneers of an
>        independend art life (Maria Lassnig, Arnulf Rainer), to the
>        young students.
>
>        Best Wishes,
>        Robert Fleck<<



-----------------------------------------------------------
Signature:
Matze Schmidt <schwarze@hrz.uni-kassel.de>
http://www.uni-kassel.de/~schwarze/matzeschmidt's.html
+49(0)561/8160691
0177/7820439
Steimel 4
D-34233 Fuldatal/Kassel
Germany
__________
Der Seminar-Termin "ScienceFiction/FictionScience" an der Khs
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<noname@inis.de> statt! Thema: Der Politspace.

naexter Club 3000:
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»Der Politspace«
-> http://www.3000-online.de

© 1999 Matze Schmidt In Koop mit Kunsthochschule Kassel,
Produzentengalerie Kassel e.V.
Die FoerderInnen & Sponsoren:
Just In Team (Kassel), Liane Otto (Berlin), STATTAUTO (Kassel),
Datawerk (Kassel)



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