________________________________________________________________________________ AU-RASSISMUS, BLAU-BRAUNER NEOLIBERALISMUS, KULTURKAMPF Wie verhalten >wir< uns zum FPOeVP-Koalitionspakt in Oesterreich? Was tun? Wie wollen wir uns koordinieren? Wie koennen wir den Protest in Oesterreich unterstuetzen? Und was passiert hier? ----------------------------------- Information & Debatte Mi 9.2.00 um 20.30 in der Buchhandlung PRO qm Alte Schönhauser 48 100119 Berlin Tel 030 - 247 28520 mit u.a. Micz Flor fuer Get-to-attack (Wien/Berlin) Penelope Georgiou (Wien) Ariane Mueller (Berlin/Wien) members of MoneysNations und allen anderen ----------------------------------------- Anhang: Dokumentation eines Aufrufs von R.Fleck (p.s.: Art is not enough) >>Nantes, 2.2.2000 Dear friends, As you know, Austria got today the first federal government since the end of World War Second with a big participation of nazis. I am born in this country, have lived there for 24 years, now writing for almost twenty years in austrian newspapers, studied political history (history of democracy...) in this country. Also through my familly, I know in detail the inside stories of the FPOe - a party founded in 1948, after the amnesty for the big nazi rulers, to be a legal cover for their activity. In 1986, Joerg Haider took over the party by a putsch with the aim to re-establish these origins, and to rehabilitate the nazi period in Austria, and if possible in Central Europe. The actual danger is much beyond Austria: in five years or, let's say, after the death of Vaclav Havel, whole Central Europe can burn in the same way like Austria now. The Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. are ready to follow this political choice. Regarding Austria, I am convinced since 1983, when Bruno Kreisky retired, the first Jewish chancelor in Central Europe since the birth of mankind, that this spectacular comeback of the Nazis must occure. For contemporary arts, I see only one possible choice: 1. NO LONGER EXHIBIT OR COOPERATE WITH AUSTRIA It has now become absolutely impossible, in moral terms, for any artist, galerist, museum curator or collector, to exhibit any longer in Austria, or to cooperate with any Austrian institution. There is only one question to ask: would you have exhibited in Nazi-Germany? Only with a complete boycott of the local artlife, we can help the Austrian artists to survive. The new government wants to show that "everything is as before", regarding individual liberty. Since 1995, all international known Austrian artists are under pressure by the party of Joerg Haider; anonymous phone calls, Nazi-signs on their cars, menaces to take their children - since five years, many internationally known artists in Vienna are only moving with their familly in the city inside of closed cars. As far as I know, most of the jewish community is also behaving like this, because they were constantly aggressed in the street. During the "100 Years" exhibition in 1998, the Vienna Secession had constantly nazi-signs, painted during the night, on the building; the Austrian federal police refused to consider these facts, saying that "this is normal". The next years will be very hard for Austrian artists. They all talked to me in the last years or months about leaving the country. Even half of the actual students at the Vienna Academy were thinking about leaving the country. For a writer, an intellectual, this is relatively easy. For an artist, to change the country is very complicated. The only way to help them, is to boycott the country itself. If you show to the Austrian population that the new government is outlaw, then - but ONLY then - the woters may consider during the next elections in 2003 that this may have been a bad choice for their country. 2. HELP THE AUSTRIAN ARTISTS AS INDIVIDUALS There can not be any preference for Austrian artists, but for you, international collegues, it is just about passing them a phone call or a mail from time to time, taking care of them in some sense, just hearing if they are ok and able to work and to exhibit. You all have very many contacts with Austrian artists. Staying in contact with people ouside can be very important for each of them. I was born in this country, and as one of very few still active international critics in this country, I have a heavy responsability. With the nomination of the new government, I announced publically to stop my collaboration for the big exhibition about the young art scene in Vienna (other curators: Paolo Herkenhoff, Maaretta Jaukkuri, Rosa Martinez) scheduled for Oct. 2000-April 2001 at Kunsthalle Vienna; to stop any collaboration with Austrian institutions; no longer going to Austria before the end of the nazi-participation in the government; trying to change citizenship. But I will stay as much as possible in contact with the Austrian artists, through the fact that I have a very close relationship with all artists generations there, from the generation of the pioneers of an independend art life (Maria Lassnig, Arnulf Rainer), to the young students. Best Wishes, Robert Fleck<< ________________________________________________________________________________ no copyright 2000 rolux.org - no commercial use without permission. is a moderated mailing list for the advancement of minor criticism. more information: mail to: majordomo@rolux.org, subject line: , message body: info. further questions: mail to: rolux-owner@rolux.org. archive: http://www.rolux.org