Page 14 - Studio International - March 1974

What can I say ? Clearly my original installation military police. allegedly because a French critic was insulted
plans for two galleries and two separate Twenty-four hours later I was on a plane by not being met at the airport.
programmes were completely thwarted. Eight for New York, but not before securing the Once having persisted and stressed my lack
days after beginning the construction, they documents promising that none of the tapes of interest in a Brazilian holiday, I never again
finished — after a fashion — but only after would be duplicated, that the equipment and heard about the prize money, although such
building it in a space against my protests, then tapes would be returned immediately upon the announcements appeared in the newspapers, in
moving it without my knowledge because of Bienal's close, and after taxiing to the releases, and now that I've seen the publication
the protests of an artist friend of Matarazzo's, American Consulate with my escort and the upon my return to New York, in the Bienal XII's
who thought that it infringed upon her exhibit, cheque for materials and rentals to be catalogue. I must make it clear that I know
then almost hiding it in a corner, painting it the converted into dollars and sent on to me, and nothing about the money nor have I received it.
wrong colour, placing the door in the wrong procuring a document about that transaction. At the time it worked neither as a bribe nor as
place, to say nothing about other aspects of Only later did I realize that I had failed to an appeasement, though now I am tempted to
craftsmanship. obtain on paper (in Portuguese) the Bienal's claim it as a small compensation for the
Meanwhile even before the agreement was often repeated promise to pay shipping charges difficulties and wasted time and effort created
reached I sought the aid of generous and both ways. Not only must I convince the through the Bienal's blunders. (Yet $250.00
concerned people outside of the Bienal. For days Consulate that they are not liable for these wouldn't even pay for a one-way ticket to
several tried to find cassette equipment which charges, but I must once again exert pressure on São Paulo.)
could be borrowed somewhere in or near the the Bienal to pay all air freight and customs That is not all that I have to disclaim. In the
city, but it was in vain. Another translated costs round trip, so that those in New York who catalogue under 'Art and Communication' my
materials for me and later began to accompany guaranteed payment on behalf of the Bienal, name appears on a page headed 'United States'
me to the Bienal so that I would be certain of will not be held responsible. Also I must make with a 2j-line badly edited, misunderstood and
understanding and of being clearly understood. certain that all tapes and equipment are misconceived translation into Portuguese of a
He and another friend helped with the returned safely. longer statement. The remainder of the page is
installation, while a photographer took blank. There is no mention of any of the artists
additional needed stills. Without these and other included or titles of their tapes. As it reads,
assistances the exhibition might never have But my story is only one. Klaus Rinke, whose taken out of context and misstated, it is
been accomplished and I might not have been exhibition was among the few of interest at the absolute nonsense. I repudiate the statement
able to last. Bienal, spent one month and several days and condemn the omission of the names of the
Of course I was doing a video exhibition with trapped in São Paulo. After one week to clear artists and their works.
closed circuit playback, but every day as I came the German work through customs, it took Had I had time, had I not had to spend my
to know and anticipate the phrase in another for the Bienal to build the proper space entire time arguing, anticipating moves,
Portuguese, Beni would ask me where I was for that country's installation and then Rinke finding support, I would undoubtedly have
going to put the screen; from the day the waited for a last piece of his sculpture to be accumulated more stories of mistreatment of
agreement was reached until the day the unloaded at the port of Santos and trucked 35 artists and exhibition directors, mismanagement
equipment arrived and I set it up, he asked the miles to the city. Once it finally left the ship, it and incompetence and simple and unabashed
question. And from that Wednesday when I was days and days before it reached São Paulo dishonesty on the Bienal's part. In accepting
hoped the machinery would arrive I began to be and the Bienal would do nothing to assist and and agreeing to do the exhibition, not only was I
harassed again on that front: 'Where is it ? You speed the process. Daily Rinke would call or unaware of the magnitude of the problems I
said that it would be here.' Wednesday came face them and daily the bureaucrats would would encounter but also of the physical and
and went. By Friday, 12 October, I knew that I laugh and tell him to relax and enjoy himself. psychological atmosphere of the Bienal. To
was trapped in Brazil. Though I was supposed Several of the Europeans involved in 'Art and comment that it was not serious is a gross
to be back in New York by Tuesday, 16 Communication' finally left in anger and understatement of the situation. The Bienal had
October, I was told that none of the money for disgust, their projects aborted because the more of the flavour of a circus or a carnival than
the tapes, etc. would be released until the Bienal had not fulfilled long-standing promises that of an art exposition. How can one even
equipment was received and in operation. about equipment and assistance. Several of attempt to seriously look at work with an
Clearly Beni found it extraordinary that them, I noted, also won prizes. The apparent incessant background of cocktail lounge music ?
anything could be accomplished rapidly and organizer of 'Art and Communication', critic I was told that for a number of years now,
expediently and he was sceptical. Finally word Radu Varia, was ineffectual, and in fact totally Matarazzo has repeatedly refused to appoint a
came that it was arriving in Rio that very day but inept, leaving the day after the opening amidst director with a background in and knowledge of
would not be in São Paulo until the next pleas and requests for help from many he had art. This, combined with the retention of prizes
Tuesday, optimistically, or by chance or invited. He, I noted in the catalogue, also won a and national structures, and moreover the
accident, on Monday. The monitor and prize — one of the ten of us who were to be retrograde creation of a national structure
playback deck did reach Sao Paulo on Monday dividing the $2,500 from IBM of Brazil. While within 'Art and Communication', highlight the
evening, unknown to the US Consulate, and on the subject, the 'Grande Premio' of US debilitated organization.
luckily did not get lost in the Varig Airlines $10,000.00 was given by Itamaraty (Foreign To quote from the 'Regulations' found in the
truck shuffle and were delivered at the last Ministry) to Jean-Michel Folon, a Belgian XII catalogue*: `. . The Board of Directors of
minute on Tuesday afternoon, just as I was artist, whose watercolours on paper were neither the Fundacão Bienal de Sao Paulo decided to
despairing about when I would ever get out of original nor exceptional in style or theme. It was organize its forthcoming exhibition in a
the country. I proved to Beni and Matarazzo whispered that the artist himself was surprised different manner from those in the past'. It
that the machinery worked, including the to receive it. At the same time it was rumoured states that 'special emphasis will be placed
colour system and adjustments, carefully chose freely that this was simply a political prize as the upon communication.' The other salient point is
pieces to show them — that I knew they would Museu de Art de São Paulo 'Assis the claim that the Bienal `. . will be open to the
have had no experience with but which would Chateaubriand' was taking an exhibition most varied up-to-date manifestations of
intrigue them — then demonstrated and talked entitled 'Imagem do Brasil' to Brussels this artistic creativity coming from all continents ...'
about the work that night before a group of month (November, 1973 — at the time of writing
those who had been helpful to me in setting up this). Further, it becomes more and more *XII Bienal de Sao Paulo Fundacao Bienal de Sao
the exhibition, plus artists, critics, students and absurd, but France received an award, Paulo Catálogo, Brazil, 1973.
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