Artists Against BP
ARTinvestment.RU   30 июня 2010

British cultural figures do not want to museums enjoyed the support of the oil giant

More than 150 prominent figures of culture applied to the British newspaper The Guardian wrote a letter in which they express their outrage at the gala evening, which Tate arranged in honor of his 20-year sponsor of the company British Petroleum. According to them, support of BP is a "stain on the international reputation of" the museum. Being engaged in such socially important thing, as the financing of prestigious cultural institutions, the big oil companies "are trying to divert public attention from the harm that they cause to the environment».

leaders signed - the famous artist Hans Haacke (Hans Haacke), the founder of this style of art, as "institutional critique". Representatives of this trend investigate the activities of museums and galleries. In his famous work MoMA Poll (1970) Haake, for example, questioned visitors to the New York Museum of Modern Art, if they agree to refuse to vote for then-governor of the state (and the trustee of MoMA) Nelson Rockefeller (Nelson Rockefeller) because of his support for Nixon's policies Indochina.

Among the protesters - known artists, composers, playwrights, poets, critics, professors, artists, cartoonists, producers, illustrators, architects, filmmakers, designers and publishers. They argue that the use of sponsorship by BP as unethical, as well as take money from tobacco corporations, who until the 2000's funded many public institutions.

Among the institutions that are supported by BP also includes the Royal Opera House, National Portrait Gallery and British Museum. For projects of the last oil giant allocates about 1.5 million dollars a year.

during a gala evening of the artistic community have organized a picket at the entrance to Tate Britain. Several desperate activists spilled at the entrance and the lobby resembles oil molasses, and threw feathers.

material prepared Yulia Maksimova, AI

Source: artinfo.com , artinvestment.ru