Syndicate: re: Do No Longer Exhibit in Austria

[Andreas Broeckmann <abroeck@v2.nl>]

Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2000 12:44:35 +0100
From: jennifer defelice <felice@ffa.vutbr.cz>


Reaction to  "Do No Longer Exhibit in Austria"

One day after the coalition proposal exploded in the press an article
appeared
in a Czech daily about artists planning to emmigrate from Austria.

I can't help but think about the favor that was visibible in the Czech
Republic
several years ago towards a neo-nazi, nationalist candidate in
Parliment. His
eventually loss and disappearance from the public eye wasn't prompted
through a
strategy of escape or hysteria.

I am also sadly reminded of Slovakia's fate of many years of Meciar's
regime
which had a very clear effect on the cultural climate of that country.
My
Slovak colleagues worked very hard through those years to make an
alternative
culture available. An effort very much appreciated by the communities
left to
suffer with a society in a state of halted motion.

Several months ago a large group of Romany emmigres were sent back to
Slovakia
from Finland. A country most likely with the worst immigration policy in
Europe.

Several weeks ago Belgium closed their borders for several days to avoid
waves
of "sans papier" immigrants, a step they are permitted with the policies
of the
European Union.

So who is being punished by the reaction to "do no longer exhibit in
Austria"
suggestion?
Certainly not the potential political elite in Austria and certainly not
those
that will miss out on work with critical content that won't be available
to
those communities.

I am probably setting myself up for criticism here...one of the reason I
remain, as Andreas so eloquently has entitled, "a lurker", but it seems
that
the trend on the list is to deal with acute problems in an explosive
manner. I
realize that acute problems require immediate action but Marion is right
about
the policies of Austria being ones of exclusion and highly racist,
although we
deal with these issues theoretically our strategies seem to be failing
us in
the long run.

What is being implemented in Austria is horrifying, the way the EU so
eloquently managed to isolate Austria in the media is just as
horrifying,
although prompting individuals to cancel their ski trips to Austria was
a
brilliantly tactical idea, worlds away from disrupting the fragile
cultural
world.

Best,

Jennifer


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