<div class="gmail_quote">Artleaks platform starts to operate - please spread a word...<br>
<br>
Artleaks is collective platform initiated by an international group of<br>
artists, curators, art historians and intellectuals in response to the<br>
abuse of their professional integrity and the open infraction of their<br>
labor rights. In the art world, such abuses usually disappear, but some<br>
events bring them into sharp focus and therefore deserve public<br>
scrutiny. Only by drawing attention to concrete abuses can we underscore<br>
the precarious condition of cultural workers and the necessity for<br>
sustained protest against the appropriation of politically engaged art,<br>
culture and theory by institutions embedded in a tight mesh of capital<br>
and power.<br>
<br>
In our case, we began collaborating as a working group who wanted to<br>
publicly bring to light Pavilion UniCredit’s consistent mistreatment of<br>
artists, workers and even visitors to their center in Bucharest,<br>
Romania. This center is devoted to contemporary art and culture and<br>
financed by one of the most prominent banks in Europe – UniCredit. Yet,<br>
we saw its mission to provide a space for critical thinking and dialogue<br>
compromised – through the management’s repressive maneuvers against<br>
those of us who problematized their politics and criticized their<br>
dubious engagement with their main sponsor. Having witnessed and<br>
experienced first-hand the exploitations perpetrated by the management,<br>
we decided it was our collective duty to openly speak against them, as<br>
well as warn those artists, curators and workers collaborating with this<br>
center.<br>
<br>
Further, we regard this case to be more than a singular instance of<br>
abuse; but seek to enable other members of the community to raise<br>
similar issues - related to corporate sponsors’ co-opting of cultural<br>
activity and mis-use of social credibility thus gained. We consider it<br>
unacceptable on the part of these so-called benefactors to refuse decent<br>
conditions for cultural workers through oppressive measures – the same<br>
workers whose labor makes their subsistence possible.<br>
<br>
In response to blacklisting and continued abuse conjoined with unbridled<br>
exploitation, it is our civic and political duty to bring to light the<br>
mechanisms of corruption and inspire others to do so as well. Instead of<br>
letting singular protests succumb to anonymity, gossip or institutional<br>
hush-hush, we must extract from situations of inequality, general<br>
conditions that affect the social and political mission of workers and<br>
establishments for art and culture.<br>
<br>
Implicit in this collective protest is a radical form of institutional<br>
critique – emphasizing the urgent need to make visible and counteract<br>
all forms of repression, abuse, mistreatment and arrogance that have<br>
been normalized through the practices of many cultural managers. While<br>
each case of abuse may be different, the increasing amount of power<br>
vested in art institutions controlled by corporate players, calls out<br>
for a collective struggle for equal rights and fair treatment of<br>
cultural workers.<br>
<br>
We must expose common-currency practices of slander, intimidation and<br>
blackmail as they are. We seek to enable like-minded people to stand<br>
together against instances of mistreatment related to cultural labor,<br>
repression channeled through dishonest management or blatant censorship.<br>
We want to create a strong network of art systems’ whistleblowers –<br>
through which we support and protect each other in critical moments as<br>
much as possible. Through the power of facts, first-hand testimonies and<br>
visual information we seek to deconstruct the politics of who, what and<br>
how is invited into the exhibition space, and most importantly the<br>
circumstances under which one is ousted and then blacklisted.<br>
<br>
We believe in the power of sustained artleaking to turn the tables on<br>
corruption and exploitation, to force art and culture institutions to<br>
publicly account for their politics and their actions. To mafia tactics<br>
and authoritarian tendencies, we answer with openness, angriness and<br>
solidarity. The tools that we continue to build together are geared<br>
towards empowering – to work with dignity and articulate our positions<br>
without obstruction and to exchange information and ideas beyond<br>
national borders.<br>
<br>
We initiate and provide the community with online tools which are open<br>
for use by anyone ready to share this or that case. Each case will be<br>
archived, building a comprehensive index of repression. We believe<br>
retroactive artleaking is just as important as early-warning leaking in<br>
the present. Thus, we welcome cultural workers to publish reports on the<br>
situation inside of the institution in any form. Both anonymous and<br>
signed reports are welcome. We only ask to submit each case with<br>
collective evidence, such as first-hand reports and documentation such<br>
as e-mail correspondence, internal regulations and documents, video<br>
recordings and so on. We welcome the submission of evidence in the<br>
original language and we will do our best to make it available to<br>
international audiences in English. Our moderators will guarantee the<br>
objectivity of each case in a wiki style of communication with each<br>
contributor.<br>
<br>
<br>
It is time to break the silence.<br>
<br>
<br>
For more information please visit: <a href="http://art-leaks.org/" target="_blank">http://art-leaks.org/</a><br>
<br>
or on facebook<br>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/ArtLeaks/119726398121901?sk=info#%21/pages/ArtLeaks/119726398121901?sk=wall" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/pages/ArtLeaks/119726398121901?sk=info#!/pages/ArtLeaks/119726398121901?sk=wall</a><br>
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Email contact: <a href="mailto:artsleaks@gmail.com" target="_blank">artsleaks@gmail.com</a><br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
dmitry vilensky<br>
Chto Delat?<br>
<br>
Oranienbaumskaya 20 - 15<br>
197110 St. Petersburg<br>
<br>
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