Artists working with these themes
18.2.2014 By Ruth Skilbeck
Artists Against Unethical Sponsorship
Amongst artists working with the themes of
refugee detention and the Australian policies of prison islands, and protests
against unethical sponsorship by sponsors who are also profiting from running
“Prison Island” concentration camps for asylum seekers, are artists in
Australia. Individuals and groups are calling for boycotting of the Biennale.
These include the groups of artists who have also been imprisoned in detention
concentration camps.
Here is an excerpt from the group RISE,
RISE
supports a complete boycott of the 19th Sydney Biennale as Transfield, a major
sponsor and partner of this event, receives income from the operation of
Australia’s deadly offshore internment camps for refugees and asylum seekers.
In 2012, Australian Artist Van Thanh Rudd
first called for a boycott of the 18th Sydney Biennale when Transfield Services
won a $24.5 million Australian government contract to provide facilities in the
Nauru asylum seeker detention camp.
Transfield’s income from
these operations (as of February 2014) is over 300 million dollars, and they
have now won yet another contract to run “welfare services” on both Nauru and
Manus Island. At the same time, there are shocking reports of
mistreatment and abuse in these camps including eyewitness accounts from
medical staff, welfare officers and other former detention staff (as reported
on this blog).
Since Sunday Feb 16 there
have been shocking reports circulating in social media about atrocities on
Manus Island, attacks on asylum seekers, resulting in broken limbs, and other
serious injuries. Today Tuesday Feb 18 the mainstream media reports in the Guardian
have reported a confirmed death, confirmed by Scott Morrison liberal minister
for Immigration, serious injuries to 70 other asylum prisoners on the island,
and latest reports in breaking news in the Guardian, indicate that the atrocities
were started by attacks on the imprisoned asylum seekers.
Some creative ideas on ways artists and art supporters can deal
with the moral dilemmas of whether or not to accept funding, and how to deal
with unethical sponsors, from Platform London:
Culture Beyond Oil
Ideas are welcome. If you have creative ideas on how to deal
with unethical arts sponsorship, please send them in.
Artists are not slaves or prostitutes, and we do not need to
accept dirty money. That said we support slaves and prostitutes in gaining
emancipation from your oppressors. End the Rule of Dirty Money, which is
destroying the world.
Ruth Skilbeck
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