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Thierry GeoffroyThierry Geoffroy, også kendt som Colonel, er en dansk-fransk kunstner. Han arbejder medaktivisme og performance i projekter som Critical Runs, Emergency Rooms, Biennalist ogAwareness Muscle.

05.09.2012

Colonel: self censure / the documenta trash, 2012, 18 x 24 cm, Ink on paper.

Kassel: Is committing self censure a solution?Mean while we are following arab revolutions seeing every day terrifying reports of

FÅ NYHEDER, FERNISERINGER OG EVENTS HVER UGE I DIN MAILBOX. TILMELD DIG KOPENHAGENS UGENTLIGE NYHEDSMAIL

Copenhagen Art Festival#cartfestival

TorbenZenth CopenhagenArt Festival seen fromoutside #cartfestivalfb.me/St7MrmUX3 days ago · reply · retweet ·favorite

KopenhagenAI PaddyJohnson on CopenhagenArt Festival: it needs work#cartfestivalfb.me/2fhXVoUDC4 days ago · reply · retweet ·favorite

Kopenhagen Art Institute: Kassel: Is committing self censure a solution? http://kopenhagen.dk/magasin/blog-single/article/et-testindlaeg/

1 of 10 05/09/12 12:04

repressionMean while we travel from politically engaged contemporary art show to the nextMean while posting on Ai Wei Wei and Pussy Riot Mean while we applaud the documenta enormous successAF THIERRY GEOFFROY

2000 people are working in the weapon industry in Kassel: Producing, designing and selling weaponslike tanks specially designed for firing at urban riots. Sales men are send to arab dictatures to sell theirtreasures of creativity technology and decades of savoir faire that should have capacity to stop byforce eventual coming uprising. The past weeks have revealed that those business men were talentedand successfull (800 urban fight panzers from Kassel almost sold to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain).

Those morale issues are sometimes debated in the local, national and international press. Theproximity of the factory is very, very near from dOCUMENTA (the first one is 10 min walk fromFredericianium), but inside the art pilgrims circle the silence is floating like death, the "happy happygreat wonderfull show no critic to be done" has taken over the debate of the context of production ofthis leading art show and forgotten to dig in real time and proximity space the thematic of "wars andconflicts" (theme of dOCUMENTA 13). We are talking about 1 million visitors expected during the 100days in Kassel. To have a full undestanding of the show theme on "war and conflicts", they should allknow about the issue of the Kassel weapon industry as much as they should know that Venice is acity on water. But the fact is that most of them don't. Why not? Did you know?

I did not know either. In june, through my Biennalist and Emergency Room missions, I did somecritical thoughts about how dOCUMENTA was promoting ecologic love through a Volkswagenmarketing campaign, and about how the bank was "creating" the navigation tools to visitdOCUMENTA, but the weapons made in Kassel - I never heard about it before June 2012.

When I was in Kassel I was visiting exhibitions about nazism and reflected upon genocides alreadycommitted. My emotions went up and down, I was touched by almost every art pieces, I was cryingand shaken by some genial master pieces. I got inspired by seeing "great art" in such a charmingplace and such a well present art show. I also understood that the city was destroyed once because ofit's weapon factories, but I did not think about the weapons created today (and tomorrow) and thatthey may be used for coming repressions - or that they are produced just beside the exhibitionvenues.

My ignorance towards this topic was very shamefull and I feel really embarrassed to haveexperienced this art show with it's theme on war and conflicts without knowing that. Fortunately (orunfortunately as ignoring this fact would have been more confortable) my Spanish friend Jose told meand now I know. Of course I am not any happier, now my life is a mess as I lost trust in this art showand feel abused.

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artfagcity My thoughts onthe Copenhagen ArtFestival? It needs work.Here's 2000 words on thesubject. bit.ly/OaqGa8#cartfestival4 days ago · reply · retweet ·favorite

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Kopenhagen Art Institute: Kassel: Is committing self censure a solution? http://kopenhagen.dk/magasin/blog-single/article/et-testindlaeg/

2 of 10 05/09/12 12:04

I also understood that we are in a historic moment where the German government is consideringaccepting a huge deal with a regime on top list of human right abuses. Selling weapons designed forurban fights is not a totally harmless activity. Since now I know about the Kassel main industry, I cannot stop thinking about what I will feel if tomorrow I see a tank from Kassel at work in Bahrain. My lifeis now miserable. I am a chicken artist, that has no courage. I try to express something but then I feelstrange. I want to do art about something and then I feel it is too far, to unreal, TOO MUCH, not aninteresting subject and I should keep away from it. I want to use words like cool, awesome and great,but I cannot anymore. I actually feel the opposite. I try again to express something about it, to makemyself usefull or feel some peace inside by releasing what I know, but at the end I commit selfcensure, I feel I am in a fiction. Like I am wasting my time with those unhappy thoughts or that I amdisturbing so much. I feel it is expected that I express my anger about the imprisoning of Pussy Riotsor Ai Wei Wei, but not to express what I know about the weapon industry in Kassel - like this is goingtoo far. Why do I feel like that and could it be true?

It would be more simple if this issue was a top priority to debate in the art world, especially in a grandexhibition like dOCUMENTA, that are even branding itself as "working on war and conflicts".dOCUMENTA has even opened a franchise about war and conflict in Kabul and Cairo. dOCUMENTAshould encourage the debate to be able to include matters of urgency even if not everyone will like it.Exhibiting on wars and genocides in the past while forgetting about recent matters should be seen asa mistake. dOCUMENTA is like a computer without hard disc. Or a democracy with one party.

Does dOCUMENTA use the magic of art as sleeping pills to create a cloud of non self critic gas?When we think about Kassel-Kabul: is art used as a charme tour to open up new markets? Does theartist have a role or a function? Is this art show going to create a better world with more self critic andactions to change it or a worse one with more secrets and hypocrisy?

Oh no, I'm sorry, I should not think like that. I am wrong, wrong, wrong and deserve self censure, butas an artist I am not allowed to do self censure - it is a terrible situation.

Yes, I am an artist, not an activist neither a journalist, but I am sad to think of the consequences allthis weapon could produced in the wrong hands. Instead of living in the past, instead of being anentertaining experience, can art "be in advance of the broken arm" and avoid accidents?

Read recent report from German media on the subject

Kopenhagen Art Institute: Kassel: Is committing self censure a solution? http://kopenhagen.dk/magasin/blog-single/article/et-testindlaeg/

3 of 10 05/09/12 12:04

Colonel: WHY IS A DEBATE ABOUT THE KASSEL TANKS NOT AN ISSUE FORDOCUMENTA?, 2012, 9 x 6 cm, Ink on carton.

Kopenhagen Art Institute: Kassel: Is committing self censure a solution? http://kopenhagen.dk/magasin/blog-single/article/et-testindlaeg/

4 of 10 05/09/12 12:04

Colonel: self censure / the documenta trash, 2012.

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Kopenhagen Art Institute: Kassel: Is committing self censure a solution? http://kopenhagen.dk/magasin/blog-single/article/et-testindlaeg/

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