In an extraordinary art performance the famous and controversial London artist Mark McGowan is to stand dressed as a MONKEY with a large sign around his neck, asking in English, ARE ALL SPANISH RACISTS? The event is to start on Friday, March 28, 2008, at 10am and is to last for seven days non-stop: it will take place in Plaza del Triunfo, outside the Seville Cathedral.
The project is in response to numerous high profile sporting occasions such as the recent Lewis Hamilton incident in Barcelona; and when England played Spain, large sections of the Madrid crowd directed monkey chants at Shaun Wright Phillips and Ashley Cole. Also, the Barcelona manager Frank Rikyard had to beg one of his players Samuel Eto into staying on the pitch after racist abuse in Zaragoza.
McGowan says: "Obviously this is a provocative stunt, but I have been asked to do a piece of art work in Spain by the gallery Suffix in Seville and I wanted to tackle this question and go out onto the streets of Seville and ask them are they racists. This is not an attempt to get an answer but to the Spanish people, how can you tolerate this? I will be there every day for a week, I hope my project raises some debate."
Mr McGowan's funeral to be announced ... For more info, click here
7 comments:
..you have to admit, he's got a set on him...Too bad he didn't go with a more apropos "M" garb- Matador...the cape won't keep the bulls at bay though...I still believe that Andy Warhol would be proud! A true live performance "piece"...sorry, I am already getting very restless as a woman of leisure...(that was an acrimonious discription regarding my state of health)
It will raise some debate indeed. I would do the same in UK...I don't think spanish people are well consider...I heve been here 1 year and I think we respect british when they are coming to our country...maybe because of the economical status of UK and we don't do the same with people from other countries which is wrong, but definetly there are many people who don't like us either in UK...just because we are spanish. he should ask..."are all of us racist?" not just spanish people...
i do not know about this clearly
I work in a Spanish public university in Madrid. Racist attitudes, xenophobia and protectionism are widespread. It beggars belief to hear university lecturers telling, and all laughing together at, ignorant and aggressive racist jokes directed at innocent and present visiting researchers and lecturers. (I have been the target of these jokes, even though I have lived in Madrid for nine years and had to prove myself time and time again to get anywhere. I am also bilingual). One of my black (visiting from Cuba) colleagues was given a disgusting nickname which was used behind his back. When I objected, they all thought it was hilarious and I became the butt of the jokes. It's almost like they see Spain as "their island". If they, as the only people with the right to consider themselves Spaniards, consider something is OK, then it must be OK. Simply because they're the Spaniards. These people need to be sacked. Their backward attitudes, lack of awareness of developments in the international sphere and incompetence really hold back both their work and Spanish education in general.
Thank you - if you'd like to email me in confidence with more info, and perhaps do an email interview anonymously, let me know.
Thank you - if you'd like to email me in confidence with more info, and perhaps do an email interview anonymously, let me know.
From my personal experience in Australia, many white spanish people have racist attitude to human beings that dont look like them. We have a big spanish community where I work in a government department and have seen many Spanish people (especially the older women) go on racial tirades to some of my colleagues. I think they grew up in a facist era which is why they think theyre better than the others. But they get a rude shock when we tell them that that behaviour is unacceptable. I consider it rather immature actually. I dont think the younger generation of Spanish decent is like that, only the middle aged and older ones.
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