Hans Haacke made me aware of the following situation which I’m passing along to Artblog readers:
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, where Human Rights Watch have documented a series of abuses.
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.
Among those calling for the boycott are 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.
For full informantion, and to sign the petition, see : http://gulflabor.wordpress.com/
