<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
From: <b class="gmail_sendername">beral madra</b> <span
dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:madraberal@gmail.com" target="_blank">madraberal@gmail.com</a>></span><br>
Date: 2011/6/8<br>
<br clear="all">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></div>
<div style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">PRESS RELEASE<span> </span></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
color="#ff0000" size="3"><span>please distribute</span></font></span></div>
<div style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3"><span></span></font></span><b><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">THE REMOVAL OF AIDAN SALAKHOVA’S SCULPTURES
FROM THE PAVILION OF AZERBAIJAN IN 54<sup>TH</sup>
VENICE BIENNALE</font></span></b></div>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">I was invited by the Ministry of Culture of
Azerbaijan to be the advisory curator of <span> </span>the
exhibition of Azerbaijan Pavilion in 54th Venice Biennale.
From September 2010 on I have worked with Mr. Chingiz
Farzaliev, who acted as commissar and local curator. All
the works of these artists have been evaluated in meetings
in Baku and Venice. Aidan Salakhova has presented her
sculptures in every detail which have been produced in
Carrara and these works together with the works of the
artist have been published in the catalogue and announced
in the website from April 2011 on.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">31st of May, when I came to the pavilion I was
informed that<span> </span>Ministry of Culture has found
Salakhova’s two sculptures which were installed in the
entrance of the Palazzo controversial to the prestige of
the country. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">Aidan Salakhova <span> </span>and me, we felt
very concerned and responsible of the image of the
exhibition and respecting the position of the other
artists we tried to be positive and find a solution. As it
could not be removed during the opening days, the
sculptures were covered with textile. Until 5th of June,
every day<span> </span>we have discussed with the
authorities and responsible people of the pavilion and
explained that: </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">-Removing the sculpture will mean “censorship”
and it will do more harm to the image of the country than
the sculpture itself; it would be much effective, if the
officials would place a label next to the sculpture and
declare that the authorities are not acknowledging and
approving the form, message or concept of this sculpture,
that it is the interpretation of the artist. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">-The concept of the sculptures has been
misinterpreted and misjudged by the authorities or by
their advisers; all symbols, signs, objects Salakhova is
using have a historical and traditional knowledge and
anchorage.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">-The meaning and message of this work is
extensively explained in my catalogue text and is
eventually the artist’s interpretation of “being woman
under the religious dictums”; here the religion is not
only related to Islam but also to Orthodoxy and other
religions, which before Islam introduced the veil;</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">-The selection of artists and the works have been
made by me and by Mr. Farzaliev with utmost responsibility
and prudence; during this process there was not one
negative hint that came on Salakhova’s work. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">-The Venice Biennale is a platform for extreme
artistic freedom, for sensitive topics, for limitless
criticism; therefore all countries must consider and
accept this context before participating.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">However, we were not able to convince and stop
the removal of these sculptures.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">In my 25 years of curating profession, I have
never experienced this kind of conflict. However, lately I
am observing - probably most of my colleagues also do -
the growing intrusion of the political and official power
on contemporary art production and on the artists and
curators in many countries, including the developed
democracies. Contemporary art production and its
theoretical and critical context is being employed and
exploited by the official power as well as by the private
sector as a tool for high prestige and glory; but at the
same time its content and concepts are not tolerated and
acknowledged. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">We in the production sector of contemporary art
are witnessing and enduring this use/abuse process. We
release protests and supports for the victims of these
attitudes. Journalists investigate and write about it.
However, at the end the damage is done and the artist or
the curator suffers.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">In the case of Azerbaijan Pavilion, I think from
now on this is the problem of the artists and curators
living and working in Azerbaijan. I have done my best, to
bring the Azerbaijan contemporary art production into the
agenda of international contemporary art; however I must
acknowledge that I was naive and I failed. The artists,
art critics and curators in Azerbaijan should act and
liberate art making, art production and creative criticism
and take their long deserved position in the international
art. </font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">On the other side, this is also becoming a
general problem in the art world and I think the artists
and curators should have an international legal protection
against these conflicts.</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">Beral Madra</font></span></p>
<p style="margin: 7.5pt 0cm auto;"><span lang="EN-GB"><font
size="3">Tuesday, 07 June 2011</font></span></p>
<br>
-- <br>
<div>beral madra<br>
curator, art critic<br>
<font color="#ff0000">BM Contemporary Art Center</font>,
Istanbul<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.bmsuma07.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">www.bmsuma07.blogspot.com</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.pluversum.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">www.pluversum.blogspot.com</a></div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.supremepolicy.blogspot.com/"
target="_blank">www.supremepolicy.blogspot.com</a></div>
<div>0090 <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="tel:212%202311023"
value="+12122311023" target="_blank">212 2311023</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:bmadra@tnn.net"
target="_blank">bmadra@tnn.net</a><br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:btmadra@dsl.ttmail.com"
target="_blank">btmadra@dsl.ttmail.com</a></div>
<div><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="skype:madseher">skype:madseher</a><br>
</div>
</div>
<font color="#888888"></font></div>
</body>
</html>