Re-functioning the Semi-Public in Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin

A group of artists, curators and art critics are planning an action at the Berlin Deutsche Guggenheim on the 7th of November at 3pm. 

Re-functioning the Semi-Public in participation with the Deutsche Guggenheim: 

Deutsche Guggenheim as Questions Platform 

The Deutsche Guggenheim has people who walk around with little signs that read, "Ask me a question" or "Frag mich." So, that's exactly what we will do. We plan to enter the Museum incognito and at a specific moment take out signs from bags or from under our clothes and silently hold them up. Each sign will ask a question related to contemporary art world and the inequalities thereof, one side in German, the other in English.

We found this to be the most appropriate form of protest as it is both physically non-violent and ideological non-violent, simply posing questions in an institute that claims to be for the public benefit and has hired people walking around asking for questions. 

The Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin is a small room on the ground floor of the skyscraper of the bank, above 100 art works are found on display. Overall, the museum functions as a lobby of the bank exhibiting its most creative form of fund-diversification. I have one friend who work at the DeutscheGuggenheim. No one is being "assaulted." This has been a major concern of ours from the beginning- not to accuse anyone of anything, even though there is a lot of accountability at hand. The point is trying to subvert the very mechanisms of the museum, and by doing so critically calling into question the museum's and the Deutsche Bank's role in the great inequality of workers in the arts, how the vast majority make barely a living wage while a tiny fraction make sickening amounts of money. Or should we simply accept that 99% of artists are mediocre, perhaps they are, but should this boundary one must cross from being a bad artist to being a "good"(commercial successful) artist be so extreme? 

 

Perhaps a concern is that we will not actually be open for dialogue/ asking extremely passive aggressive questions that deny a possible answer, or attempt at/ a beginning of answering. This is not our intention and we believe this relatively minor action could ultimately be of some benefit for the museum. 

Below is a link to a model of successful "questioning" that is not accusatory, even when dealing with people who normally would be on the other side of the fence, and that ultimately makes people, simply put, think. That doesn't force them to identify with a certain group and that does not put them on the defensive. This too is our goal. Otherwise, we can only expect the expected.