The Migrant, post colonialism and Europe in relation to Documenta 14 pt. 1

Art and politics, statements of the mentioned never mentioned

Documenta. When speaking of Athens. Now merely an excuse. Athens, Greece since TROIKA changed the discourse of Europe.

The school of fine arts Athens.

At the school of Fine arts in Athens; ASFA, has it’s origins in the Royal School of Arts established in 1836, in 1992 it was relocated to the former textile factory of the Sikiarides family in. When scouting the surface, you do not notice this hyped ”crisis” here,  but as a very present problem, scouting the surface is never enough and very often misleading.  Entering the open studios of the student’s and talking with people, gives a very different view. The students seem very aware and therefore very aware of politics, economics and the post-colonialist status of Europe. people are discussing politics in a a natural merge with their art as these clandestine dynamic spaces with wildgrowing graffiti, plants and art. They seem to have their very own opinion on both the debth-crisis and the relationship to Germany, (and German Documenta). ASFA is a Documenta venue, the first  space to engage in collaboration with Documenta, and since the fall of 2016, Arnisa Zeqo of aneducation (the public education program of Documenta 14) has led Elective Affinities, a seminar inviting students from various departments to engage with documenta 14 artists. Documenta displays an exhibition in the main exhibition space of the school, the Nikos Kessanlis hall, but the school in it self and the engaged students is as or if not more intriguing and present in its importance to the discussion of politics and arts.

When talking to the students at the ASFA I heard various oppinions but mainly a disengaged attitude constituting the superficial occupational program from the Documenta progam.  This is a shame I think as kept in mind that Documenta state that they have worked 4 years of the progress of establishing relationsships in Athens, how come you don’t see any events or workshops arranged but local students or professors? That is for the workshops, the next matter of subject is the main documenta exhibition at the ASFA:

Documenta is, to put it promptly, a political art event, by staging itself in Athens it has all ready claimed its agenda, commenting on a Europe of determisnitic crucial financial politics and the battle of etics in relation to migration and custom barriers.

Regarding the wholeness of the exhibition and the quality of many of the installation, I will not elaborate here, because one piece, the centre-piece of the exhibition is so strong that it justifies Bouchra Khalili “the tempest society“. This movie is the strongest piece of art, I have seen, -commenting on the state of Europe and it’s ethics and lack of same, implemented as a consequence of protectionist financial politics, in perspective to immigrants coming to Greece -their personal stories, becoming the new Epos of a Europe.

We heard later in the evening an amazing talk from the programme of Documenta:  “Black Athens” with Indian professor Ranabir Samaddar and comments from Rwandian philosopher Isaïe Nzymana titled:”

Debt and Migration in the Postcolony. An Enquiry into Greece’s Crisis”.

( I will return to the talk in pt2.) 

Ranabir Samaddar was, with wit and a sharp metaphorism and economical knowledge, giving an analysis regarding capitalsms' reduction of labour to a fluctatious commodity that has no permanent rights. 

-->To return to the video, explanation would fill various pages or not do justice to the elaborate research, proximity and inevitable points of the piece. It was concerning Europe and refugees, and the state of the migrant within EU. The nature of borders in Europe where the nationalist state and borders are at the commands of neo-liberalist politics. I cannot do justice with my own words to describe this piece so I  show stills from the movie, and encourage everyone to see this piece of art. It will make us all more human.