"Ai Weiwei Speaks Out on Cancellation of His London Exhibition — In a statement to Hyperallergic after Lisson Gallery nixed his show, the artist warned of 'soft violence aimed at stifling voices' on the topic of the Israel-Palestine conflict." https://hyperallergic.com/856763/ai-weiwei-speaks-out-on-cancellation-of-his-london-exhibition-lisson-gallery/ [Original story: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/11/14/lisson-gallery-pulls-ai-weiwei-london-show-over-israel-hamas-war-tweet]
"Documenta embroiled in more antisemitism claims" https://www.dw.com/en/documenta-art-show-embroiled-in-more-antisemitism-claims/a-67406086
#art #FreeSpeech
@RunRichRun Wait, somebody choosing not to buy or display my art is "soft violence" now?
Good to know.
@LouisIngenthron
I think what he's saying is don't censor. I agree. Would rather see artists be provocative & make arguments that I agree/disagree with/abhor than loud mobs of hangers on who glom onto a few cherry-picked facts and think it gives them the right to be abnoxious and intimidating to others.
"... what does surprise me is the application of violent means in today’s ostensibly democratic and free society to suppress cultural expression... soft violence aimed at stifling voices.”
@RunRichRun Yeah, but "not giving someone your platform" is not the same as "censoring" them.
That this gallery chose not to feature his work does not prevent other galleries from doing so, nor does it stop him from self-publishing.
Moreover, if choosing not to feature his work is "censorship", then every gallery is censoring millions of obscure artists every day.
We need to draw a distinction between our right to speak and our entitlement to use others' bullhorns to amplify our speech.
@LouisIngenthron
Those are all very good points. There seems to be some vagueness as to what happened/how it happened/why it happened. Galleries appear to be shying away from controversy right now (my anecdotal observation). Is it about fear of backlash, whether that means protests (incl. potential violence) or lost revenue or?? IDK. Does not seem like a good thing, tho'. Art is not typically a capitalist affair; I think it is a signal -- but of what?
@RunRichRun It's just more speech 🤷♂️
If a private business chooses not to feature a pro-X artist because of their pro-X stance, then that business is advertising to its customers that it is anti-X.
Then those customers can choose to exercise in some free speech of their own, by either supporting the business and its decision, or by boycotting it for its decision.
All the while, other businesses will be watching, and this discourse will influence their future decisions on the matter.
All of this is just another cog in the free marketplace of ideas.
