Anti-Racist Protestors Close Down Anti-Racist Exhibit

[Kromovaracun]

http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2014/09/24/thin-skinned-anti-racist-protestors-shut-down-an-anti-racist

So... is there a way to make an anti-racist piece of art without displaying racism?

(trying to think of a less obvious question than "are these people cretins?")

[Zacs-Master]

Grrrrr. Another example of the minority dictating to the majority. 200 protesters. Very worrying.

[ludwig]

I was reading about this earlier, but concluded that without actually seeing the whole of the piece, I couldn't really decide how I felt about it.

[Baldric]

I think the last paragraph of the report sums it up quite well!

///The protestors who shut down Exhibit B should be ashamed of themselves. They act against their own principles, while doing nothing to help those who might actually need them///

[naomi24]

Krom, "are these people cretins?" would have done. The answer is yes.

[Zacs-Master]

Naomi, the more significant 'event' here is the gallery agreeing to close it down. Censorship which the Romanian govt would be proud of.

[naomi24]

Indeed - and it's put more than one black actor/model out of work to boot! Clever!

[jno]

to answer your first question... yes, probably. I'm thinking of things like Dr Strangelove, which was antiwar/antinuclear without showing either. These matters can be approached indirectly. But I don't see why people should be forced to do so.

It's not necessarily cretinous to feel uncomfortable with the idea of a white South African displaying half-naked black people to be stared at, or to argue that it perpetuates racism rather than challenging it. Not having seen it, I don't know whether that argument is correct or not (I'm impressed that so many other people seem to know, though they haven't seen it either). It's not always a good idea to take the artist's word for this sort of thing: lots of people claim to be against racism, but it isn't always true.

Still, I wouldn't have shut it down. Let an audience decide for itself.

[andy-hughes]

jno - "It's not necessarily cretinous to feel uncomfortable with the idea of a white South African displaying half-naked black people to be stared at, or to argue that it perpetuates racism rather than challenging it."

Out on the street, your point would jhave some creedence, but surely in a Barbican art installation the point should be obvious from the outset?

[naomi24]

//a white South African displaying half-naked black people to be stared at,//

Reading that, one could almost believe that the half-naked black people were 'displayed' against their will.

[-Talbot-]

Thin-skinned anti-racist protestors shut down an anti-racist exhibit


I hope none of them read that, 'Thin-skinned' will surely get them frothing at the mouth even more.

Morons.... and cretins too.

[andy-hughes]

Zacs - "Naomi, the more significant 'event' here is the gallery agreeing to close it down. Censorship which the Romanian govt would be proud of."

I would suggest that such a decision was not taken lightly, and that it was taken with safety in mind, for those taking part, and the general public.

The apparent sop to the numpties who don't understand irony when they perpetuate it, is an unfortunate bi-product.

[Zacs-Master]

Good point Andy but it's still a worrying by-product.

[jno]

it might be, andy - but as I said, without seeing it, I don't know. Maybe it achieves its stated aim; but if it doesn't, then it might be hard to distinguish from the real exhibitions that it's supposed to be challenging. Some of its critics argue just this

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/12/exhibit-b-human-zoo-boycott-exhibition-racial-abuse

Disagree with that if you like, but it's hardly cretinous.

[andy-hughes]

Zacs - "Good point Andy but it's still a worrying by-product."

Thank you.

I would suggest that anyone who sees this exhibition, and thinks it enhances a racist point of view is missing the point of it altogether - so it's raison d'etre floats above their heads anyway.

Sadly, you cannot legislate for the stupidity of some people - it's an ufortunate fact that congenital stupidity is a recognised requirement in holding a racist point of view.

[jno]

did you see it, andy? I think it was on in Edinburgh before heading south.

[andy-hughes]

jno - "did you see it, andy? I think it was on in Edinburgh before heading south."

Sadly not, so I am commenting on something I have not seen, which is always a difficult position from which to start.

I am willing to bet that a lot of the protesters haven't seen it either, so i am in bad company!

[-Talbot-]

This is how the actors themselves described it:

"Each audience member walks in alone into the exhibit, and each performer is exhibited in their own tableau vivant. Each performer is instructed by Brett to look into the eyes of each audience member. On arrival, at the first tableau, most people don’t even recognise that human beings are standing there. For a moment, particularly for the first few, we are objects.

"Then, our eyes meet.

"In that moment when our eyes meet, we cease to be objectified and become human. Some people literally jump back. Some break into tears; others immediately look away. Others still gaze deeper as their eyes well up.

"As they move through the exhibit, we watch them and witness anger, grief, pity, sadness, compassion. Above all, we witness a dawning of awareness. This is why we keep doing this, and would keep on doing it, if we could."



I wish I had.

[naomi24]

The protestors clearly didn't ask the participants for their opinions.

[jno]

not necessarily; as I say, it was on at the Edinburgh festival. That's why I asked.

Anyway, neither of us can know whether "anyone who sees this exhibition, and thinks it enhances a racist point of view is missing the point of it altogether". It may be that they do see the point very clearly, and it isn't what the artist claims it is. Or they could have missed the point because the artist has failed to make it plain. Or they may just be completely wrong. We don't know. But I'm not prepared to assume they're all numpties, cretins, or whatever derogatory term people like to throw at them.

[andy-hughes]

jno - "Anyway, neither of us can know whether "anyone who sees this exhibition, and thinks it enhances a racist point of view is missing the point of it altogether". It may be that they do see the point very clearly, and it isn't what the artist claims it is. Or they could have missed the point because the artist has failed to make it plain. Or they may just be completely wrong. We don't know. But I'm not prepared to assume they're all numpties, cretins, or whatever derogatory term people like to throw at them."

Your point is a reasonable one - and given that I am as guilty as anyone else for making a judgement based on something I haven't seen, I can concur with your unwillingness to cast aspertions.

Although, that said, what we do have is the comments from the actors themselves, and from what they say, I would suggest that the meaning is transparent.

We are commenting and debating something which we have not seen, but that is a far cry from demonstrating sufficiently to get it shut down.