[spectre] Valencia Biennial Invite Returned

[geert lovink]

>May 20th, 2003
>
>An Open Letter returning an invitation to the Valencia Biennial 2003
>
>--Barbaric war and occupation in Iraq by the coalition is protested--
>
>The art and performance collaborative known as Praxis (Delia Bajo and
>Brainard Carey) have returned their invitation to participate in the
>Valencia Biennial.
>This Spanish and American husband and wife team have returned the biennial
>invitation to protest the current occupation and war in Iraq by the
>coalition that includes Spain and the United States.
>Delia Bajo is a native of Madrid, Spain while Brainard Carey is from
>Manhattan.
>
>Their statement:
>
>While we are grateful to be invited to the Valencia Biennial by William
>Alsop of Alsop Architects, we must in all due respect not accept the
>invitation.
>At a time in the world when a so-called "coalition" including Spain and the
>United States team up to launch an obscene war and occupation in Iraq, we
>cannot remain silent in the International context of the Valencia Biennial.
>There is nothing more callous and shortsighted than the aggressive war in
>Iraq resulting in the loss of innocent lives and homes and the looting and
>destruction of museums.
>As a Spaniard and an American we are profoundly embarrassed by our
>respective countries and their act of war upon Iraq which continues to be
>absurd -as the motive for the war has still to be proved since no chemical
>weapons of mass destruction have been found!
>We are saddened that we live amongst governmental barbarians.
>As artists, we cannot in good conscience continue our work without drawing
>attention to the irony and blindness of this war and occupation.
>
>
>Artists Biography
>
>Delia Bajo and Brainard Carey are an art collaborative known as Praxis who
>have exhibited their work in the Whitney Biennial 2002 as well as the
Museum
>of Modern art in New York and other major venues. The general themes of
>their work involve an examination of social fabric and the process by which
>a community comes together.
>Their projects involve performance, video and painting.