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KRISTINEKHOURI
RASHASALTI
W
reflectcriticallyonthesignificanceofthehistorieswehadunearthed.Itwasimmediatelyapparentthat
henwewereinvitedtotransformourresearchintoanexhibition,wewerecompelledtostepbackand
wehadbeenthreadingtogetherahistoryofartistic,exhibition,andmuseologicalpracticesthatwereoutside
thecanon.Wechosetotellthestoriesofthenetworkswediscoveredaswehadmappedthem,becausethey
formedthecoreofourresearch.Thispublicationsharesasideofourfindingsthatiscomplementarytothe
exhibition.Itaimstoforegroundtransnationalarthistoriesthatdecenterorunderminethecanon,and
toconjureexhibitionandmuseographichistoriestointerrogatetheprevailinghistoriographyofartduringthe
ColdWar.Itdoessothroughthelensofinternationalsolidarity,focusingprimarilyonthecasesofthree
museums-in-exile:the
InternationalArtExhibitionforPalestine
,theMuseodelaResistenciaSalvadorAllende
(MIRSA),and
ArtContre/AgainstApartheid
.
Ourpointofdepartureisthe
InternationalArtExhibitionforPalestine
andwhatitrepresentedtoSliman
Mansour,aseminalPalestinianartistwhoseprolificpracticehasbeendedicatedtorepresentinghishomeland.
In1978,MansourtraveledfromtheWestBanktoseetheexhibitioninBeirut.Hisaccounthastherarequality
ofaninsider-outsider:hewashimselfinthecenterofthebattle,andyetatadistancefromthedynamic
fulcrumoftheactivitiesofthePalestineLiberationOrganization(PLO)inBeirut.Followingthethread
ofincarnationandrepresentation,westepawayfromthe1978Beirutexhibitiontodocumentarycinemaand
thePalestineFilmUnit.Attheriskofindulgingunorthodoxy,weinvitedresearchersandwritersReemShilleh
andMohanadYaqubitoshareanexcerptfromanearlydraftofthedocumentaryscreenplayfor
OffFrameAKA
RevolutionUntilVictory
(2016),whichparallelswithvividprecisionourownexperienceofforensicinvestigation,
andalsoconveyssuccinctlyhowpeopleretrospectivelynarrateinternationalsolidaritywiththePalestinian
revolutioninthe1960sand1970s.
ThefirstpillarofinternationalsolidaritywiththePalestinianstrugglewasspontaneous,grassrootspan-
Arabmobilization.Throughindividualparticipationanddonatedartworks,the1978Beirutexhibitionwas
inscribedwithtracesoftheFirstandSecondArabBiennials.Allthreeexhibitionshavefadedintonear-oblivion.
In“WritingtheHistoryofModernArabArt,”arthistorianAliaNakhlirevisitsquestionsoftheproductionofart-
historicalknowledgearoundmodernArabartandthetrappingsofpan-Arabideologicalframeworks.Pushing
furtherintothesemarginalizedhistories,weincludeheretranslationsoftwotextspublishedintheMoroccan
culturaljournal
Intégral
aftertheSecondArabBiennial,heldinRabatin1976:arthistorian,theorist,and
Intégral
co-editorToniMaraini’sreviewoftheexhibition,followedbyaninterviewwiththelateMoroccanartistFarid
Belkahia,atthetimethepresidentoftheAssociationmarocainedesartsplastiques,anindependentgroup
ofartiststhatwassidelinedfromparticipatingintheconceptionofthebiennial.Inreproducingthesetexts,
weaspiretorevivetheuncompromisinglydissentingandlucidvoicesthatwarnedagainstthefutilityand
dangerofindulgingdemagogy.Theyhaveprovencorrectinforeseeingthedestructivepotentialofsuch
astrategyanditsattendantpositions.WealsointerviewedMarainitogleanherretrospectivethoughtsonthat
chapterofactivisminthearts,andtranslatedherpreviouslyunpublishedessay“ForaCulturalHumanism,”
whichwasintendedforinclusioninthecatalogofthe1978Beirutexhibition,butdidnotuntilnowfinditsway
totheprintedpage.
ArthistoriansAnnekaLenssenandNakajimaIzumirespectivelyreframetherealmsinwhichtangible
andintangiblemanifestationsofsolidarityamongArabartists’unionsmaneuveredwithinthecomplexweb
ofthepatronageandoversightofministriesofcultureandautocraticregimes,andexaminetheunderpinnings
ofinternationalsolidarityandcooperationthattheUnionofPalestinianArtistsdevelopedwiththeJapanAsian
AfricanandLatinAmericanArtists’Association(JAALA).ProbingthequestionofsolidarityinJapanfurther,
weinterviewedPalestinianartistVladimirTamari,wholivedinJapanfrom1970untilhisdeathin2017.Aclose
friendofPLOrepresentativeFathiAbdul-Hamid,Tamariwitnessedtheemergenceofinterestinthequestion
ofPalestineamongJapaneseleftistintellectuals,andwashimselfactivelyinvolvedinsensitizingtheJapanese
publictothetragedyofPalestine.Histestimonyillustrateswithcandorhowinternationalsolidaritywas
generated,andforegroundstheimportanceofthePLOrepresentativesofthattimeandtheirengagementwith
culture.
ResearcherandculturalhistorianDominikaBlachnicka-Ciacekdelvesintoseveralpublicarchives
toconsiderthecaseofPoland’srelationswithPalestineandtheArabworldinthe1970sand1980s,whileart
historianKatarzynaMatulinterrogatesthepredicatesofofficiallysanctionedinternationalsolidarityunder
autocraticregimesandtheircapacitytoinstrumentalizesubjectiveartisticexpression.Inasimilarvein,art
historianJérômeBazinexaminescasesofseminalimagesofinternationalsolidarity,theiriconographic
language,representationsofotherness,andmodesofdissemination.
Ifsolidarityisanincarnation,itisalsoaprojection.DuringtheColdWar,Yugoslaviawasaprimary
driverininstitutingtheNon-AlignedMovement.There,solidaritywassanctionedbythestate,butitalsoexisted
atthegrassrootslevel.Fromiconographicanalysistodeconstructingresistance,knowledge,andlanguage,
writerandcuratorJelenaVesićrevisitsaseminaleventthattookplaceinYugoslaviain1977aroundtri-
continentalsolidarity,preciselywhenTito’sregimewasveeringawayfromit.Shereconsidersthesignificance
oftheeventfromtheperspectiveofdisenchantedYugoslavyouth.ArthistorianSaraCatenaccilooksback
atinstancesinwhichartistsmarshaledtheirpracticeandknow-howtoincarnateandembodytheirengagement
withlocalandinternationalstrugglesinItalyinthe1970s,pointingtotheradicallytransformativepotentialthat
solidarityactionscouldhaveimpartedtomajoreventssuchastheVeniceBiennale.TravelingnorthtoParis
toexaminethesametimebracket,arthistorianCatherineDossinrevisitsthewaningoftheinsurrectionaland
anti-establishmentpositioningoftheJeunePeinture,specificallyregardingitsinvolvementininternational
solidarity.
Thefinalsectionofthebookaddressesmuseums-in-exile.CuratorsandwritersCarollYaskyandClaudia