At the Berlin Biennale (Berlin Biennale) – an exhibition of contemporary art – a scandal erupted. French artist Jean-Jacques Lebel (Jean-Jacques Lebel) created in one of the halls of the Berlin Museum “Hamburg Station – Museum of Modernity” (Hamburger Bahnhof) “Labyrinth of Horror”. The installation is made from well-known photographs taken by the US military in the Abu Ghraib prison, which show the humiliation and torture of Iraqi prisoners. Lebel hung canvases with enlarged fragments of photographs on the walls and indoors. It is not visible from the outside what is in the room, so visitors are warned at the entrance that they are in for creepy scenes.
Jean-Jacques Lebel
The artists condemned the organizers
This work was opposed by Rijin Sahakian, a participant in the Berlin Biennale, a native of Baghdad and the initiator of the non-profit project Sada, which conducted programs in the field of education and advocacy for artists from Baghdad in 2010-2015. She wrote an open letter, which was signed by another 15 representatives of the art scene. It denounces, among other things, that the Biennale uses “photographs of illegally detained and abused Iraqis” for commercial purposes and without the consent of the victims. In addition, she was outraged that there was no agreement with other Iraqi artists whose work is exhibited next to the controversial installation. To get from one work of art by Iraqi authors to another, visitors had to pass through a “maze” with images of scenes of violence against prisoners. Some artists and visitors found this approach of the organizers insensitive, traumatic and unacceptable.
Biennale organizers responded that both Iraqi artists who did not want to exhibit next to Lebel’s project were offered another location for their exhibits. One work has already been outweighed, and the other is still being negotiated with the artist. On Facebook, the organizers posted a message that “due to technical reasons, the exhibition will be closed for one day, August 4.”
Torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib
The torture of prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison was carried out by the US military. According to the testimonies of the victims, some of them were victims of sexual violence, the guards rode the prisoners on horseback, forced them to fish out food from the prison toilets and came up with other bullying. According to the prisoners, they were tortured, shocked, forced to walk on all fours like dogs and yelp, thrown into cells, poured water on the floor and forced to sleep in this slush.
Photos of abuse of prisoners in Abu Ghraib prison provoked a high-profile international scandal
At the same time, the guards constantly photographed everything. In April 2004, the American CBS channel showed a story about torture in prison. Pictures of US military personnel posing in front of a “pyramid” of naked prisoners, as well as other evidence of bullying and violence in Abu Ghraib, caused a high-profile international scandal. From 2004 to August 2007, the military tribunal heard more than 11 cases of American guards, eight of them received prison terms and disciplinary sanctions.
Political focus of the Biennale
The Berlin Biennale of Contemporary Art gathers artists, theorists and practitioners from all over the world at various venues in the city once every two years. This event is funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and has a political focus, addressing the pressing issues of our time. The twelfth edition of the Berlin Biennale of Contemporary Art runs this year from 11 June to 18 September. Six venues in Berlin showcase the work of 70 creative teams and artists speaking out against colonial narratives and representing strategies for decolonization.
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