Saturday
Mar262011
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi press release and petition
Saturday, March 26, 2011 at 3:19PM Guggenheim Abu Dhabi press release and petition Dear Friends, I hope all is well with you. The attached announcement and petition is
going public today. Please distribute widely. Website: http://gulflabor.wordpress.com/ Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gulflabor/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 130 Artists Call for Guggenheim Boycott over Migrant Worker Exploitation
(New York, March 17, 2011) A group of leading artists, curators,
writers, and others launched a boycott of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi today
over the exploitation of foreign migrant workers building the museum
on Saadiyat Island, the United Arab Emirates.
More than 130 international artists, curators, writers and others have
signed a boycott to end all cooperation with the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
and are demanding that the Guggenheim Foundation and its Abu Dhabi
partner take immediate and meaningful steps to safeguard the rights of
the workers constructing the new branch museum on Saadiyat Island.
Some of the artists who have signed the appeal have also decided to
boycott other Guggenheim locations around the world until this issue
is resolved.
"Artists should not be asked to exhibit their work in buildings built
on the backs of exploited workers," said Walid Raad, one of the
artists boycotting the Guggenheim. "Those working with bricks and
mortar deserve the same kind of respect as those working with cameras
and brushes."
In two extensive reports on the UAE, Human Rights Watch has documented
a cycle of abuse that leaves migrant workers deeply indebted, poorly
paid, and unable to defend their rights or even quit their jobs. The
UAE authorities responsible for developing Saadiyat Island have failed
to tackle the root causes of abuse: unlawful recruiting fees, broken
promises of wages, and a sponsorship system that gives employers
virtually unlimited power over workers.
After mounting criticism, the Guggenheim finally made a public
commitment in September 2010 to protect the rights of laborers
constructing its new branch. However the institution and, its Abu
Dhabi partner, the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC)
have still not taken sufficient steps to better the conditions of
workers.
On March 10, 2011, TDIC announced that it "is broadening its existing
independent monitoring programme" and that it had revised its
Employment Practices Policy (EPP) to provide that contractors "shall
reimburse Employees for any Recruitment Fees paid by them, without
deductions being imposed on their remuneration." However, TDIC also
stated that the monitor will examine only UAE and EPP violations,
which of course exclude significant labor law and human rights
protections guaranteed under international law. Furthermore, it has
not indicated whether the monitor's findings will be made public. With
respect to the EPP statement that contractors will reimburse workers
for fees, without enforcement mechanisms and a guarantee from TDIC and
the Guggenheim, it remains nothing more than an unenforceable promise
for which only workers bear the risk of loss.
"We support the building of cultural institutions on the Saadiyat
Island but we feel that it is our responsibility to do what we can to
ensure that the rights of workers are protected." said Emily Jacir, a
signatory.
The call followed an initiative by NYU faculty and students who are
trying to secure similar protections for the construction workers who
will be building the NYU Abu Dhabi campus, also on Saadiyat Island,
known as the "Island of Happiness".
Among those calling for the boycott are prominent artists Emily Jacir,
Walid Raad, Yto Barrada, Mona Hatoum, Shirin Neshat, Akram Zaatari,
Janet Cardiff, Willie Doherty, Hans Haacke, Thomas Hirschhorn, Alfredo
Jaar, Barbara Kruger, Antonio Muntadas, Paul Pfeiffer, Rirkrit
Tiravanija,, to name a few.
The full petition and list of current signatories is attached to this
press release. Additional material can be found at:
http://gulflabor.wordpress.com/.
For more information, contact:
In Sharjah, Walid Raad, Artist, +971508087430 or gulflabor@gmail.com,
In Sharjah, Emily Jacir, Artist, +971656377770 or
gulflabor@gmail.comHYPERLINK "mailto:gulflabor@gmail.com",
In New York, Ayreen Anastas, Artist, +1 718 388-5437 or
jobeuys@gmail.comHYPERLINK "mailto:jobeuys@gmail.com",
In New York, Rene Gabri, Artist, +1 212 480-2099
renegabri@gmail.comHYPERLINK "mailto:renegabri@gmail.com",
In New York, Andrew Ross, Writer, +1 917-596-645 or andrew.ross@nyu.edu,
going public today. Please distribute widely. Website: http://gulflabor.wordpress.com/ Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gulflabor/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 130 Artists Call for Guggenheim Boycott over Migrant Worker Exploitation
(New York, March 17, 2011) A group of leading artists, curators,
writers, and others launched a boycott of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi today
over the exploitation of foreign migrant workers building the museum
on Saadiyat Island, the United Arab Emirates.
More than 130 international artists, curators, writers and others have
signed a boycott to end all cooperation with the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
and are demanding that the Guggenheim Foundation and its Abu Dhabi
partner take immediate and meaningful steps to safeguard the rights of
the workers constructing the new branch museum on Saadiyat Island.
Some of the artists who have signed the appeal have also decided to
boycott other Guggenheim locations around the world until this issue
is resolved.
"Artists should not be asked to exhibit their work in buildings built
on the backs of exploited workers," said Walid Raad, one of the
artists boycotting the Guggenheim. "Those working with bricks and
mortar deserve the same kind of respect as those working with cameras
and brushes."
In two extensive reports on the UAE, Human Rights Watch has documented
a cycle of abuse that leaves migrant workers deeply indebted, poorly
paid, and unable to defend their rights or even quit their jobs. The
UAE authorities responsible for developing Saadiyat Island have failed
to tackle the root causes of abuse: unlawful recruiting fees, broken
promises of wages, and a sponsorship system that gives employers
virtually unlimited power over workers.
After mounting criticism, the Guggenheim finally made a public
commitment in September 2010 to protect the rights of laborers
constructing its new branch. However the institution and, its Abu
Dhabi partner, the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC)
have still not taken sufficient steps to better the conditions of
workers.
On March 10, 2011, TDIC announced that it "is broadening its existing
independent monitoring programme" and that it had revised its
Employment Practices Policy (EPP) to provide that contractors "shall
reimburse Employees for any Recruitment Fees paid by them, without
deductions being imposed on their remuneration." However, TDIC also
stated that the monitor will examine only UAE and EPP violations,
which of course exclude significant labor law and human rights
protections guaranteed under international law. Furthermore, it has
not indicated whether the monitor's findings will be made public. With
respect to the EPP statement that contractors will reimburse workers
for fees, without enforcement mechanisms and a guarantee from TDIC and
the Guggenheim, it remains nothing more than an unenforceable promise
for which only workers bear the risk of loss.
"We support the building of cultural institutions on the Saadiyat
Island but we feel that it is our responsibility to do what we can to
ensure that the rights of workers are protected." said Emily Jacir, a
signatory.
The call followed an initiative by NYU faculty and students who are
trying to secure similar protections for the construction workers who
will be building the NYU Abu Dhabi campus, also on Saadiyat Island,
known as the "Island of Happiness".
Among those calling for the boycott are prominent artists Emily Jacir,
Walid Raad, Yto Barrada, Mona Hatoum, Shirin Neshat, Akram Zaatari,
Janet Cardiff, Willie Doherty, Hans Haacke, Thomas Hirschhorn, Alfredo
Jaar, Barbara Kruger, Antonio Muntadas, Paul Pfeiffer, Rirkrit
Tiravanija,, to name a few.
The full petition and list of current signatories is attached to this
press release. Additional material can be found at:
http://gulflabor.wordpress.com/.
For more information, contact:
In Sharjah, Walid Raad, Artist, +971508087430 or gulflabor@gmail.com,
In Sharjah, Emily Jacir, Artist, +971656377770 or
gulflabor@gmail.comHYPERLINK "mailto:gulflabor@gmail.com",
In New York, Ayreen Anastas, Artist, +1 718 388-5437 or
jobeuys@gmail.comHYPERLINK "mailto:jobeuys@gmail.com",
In New York, Rene Gabri, Artist, +1 212 480-2099
renegabri@gmail.comHYPERLINK "mailto:renegabri@gmail.com",
In New York, Andrew Ross, Writer, +1 917-596-645 or andrew.ross@nyu.edu,
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