The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Campaign

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Campaign"Drill a crater in the floor, flood a gallery, embalm an animal, smash an object, stage a pitiful deathcritics hail these gestures as having the power to shape worlds. But when artists sit down with museum administrators and read a list of demands for labor rights, this work suddenly becomes illegible to the same museum. In an Artist Op Ed illustrated by Hans Haacke's photos from Saadiyat Island, Naeem Mohaiemen reflects on the Gulf Labor Coalitions

"Drill a crater in the floor, flood a gallery, embalm an animal, smash an object, stage a pitiful deathÑcritics hail these gestures as having the power to Ôshape worlds.Õ But when artists sit down with museum administrators and read a list of demands for labor rights, this work suddenly becomes illegible to the same museum.Ó In an Artist Op-Ed illustrated by Hans Haacke's photos from Saadiyat Island, Naeem Mohaiemen reflects on the Gulf Labor CoalitionÕs fight for fair conditions for workers constructing western museums in Abu Dhabi.

This pamphlet is published by the Walker Art Center as part of its online Artist Op-Eds series, an ongoing project inviting artists in all disciplines to respond through writing to events in the news. See more at wac.mn/artist-opeds