Museum Watch Actions

• CIMAM statement about Osman Kavala and Turkish cultural professionals

  

  11 January 2019. The civil society activist and philanthropist Osman Kavala has been held in prison in Turkey for over a year now, one of the many public intellectuals and cultural figures targeted following the attempted coup in July 2016.

• About the Greek National Museum of Contemporary Art

  

  21 December 2018. CIMAM is concerned about the lack of transparency in relation to the governance of EMST. A museum needs a clear framework through which the relationship between the government, Board, executive and staff is managed.

• Okwui Enwezor

  

  December 2018. The Board of CIMAM acknowledges Okwui Enwezor for the outstanding program he presented at Haus der Kunst in Münich and expresses its deep concern by the way in which this outstanding relationship was ended. The case was raised at the recent CIMAM conference in Stockholm as it is one of the many recent examples of ruptures between governing bodies and directors of contemporary art institutions.

• Catherine de Zegher

  

  November 2018. In its capacity as the international association for Museums and Collections of Modern and Contemporary art, and as an affiliate of ICOM, CIMAM wishes to register its deep concern at the treatment of Catherine de Zegher in her capacity as Director of the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in Ghent.

• Beatrix Ruf

  

  November 2018. The Board of CIMAM congratulates Beatrix Ruf, former director of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam with the positive outcome of the investigations into alleged conflicts of interest.

• Letter from Enrico Lunghi to CIMAM Members and Board

  

  November 2017

• CIMAM statement on the US government sanctions against Iran and Syria

  

  November 2017. The CIMAM Board deplores the fact that the sanctions are preventing museum professionals in Iran from taking part in global discussions about museum practice.

• About the ‘Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World’ show at the Guggenheim Museum

  

  November 2017. Following the withdrawal of works from the ‘Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World’ exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, the CIMAM board has been considering an appropriate response.

• Statement of the CIMAM board on South Korean Government’s blacklist of artists

  

  March 2017. The board of CIMAM is deeply concerned to hear of the blacklist of artists that has come to light during the current investigations into government corruption in South Korea.

• Joint Statement Regarding the Impact of the U.S. Immigration Ban on Artistic Freedom

  

  February 2017. Today, more than thirty cultural institutions and human rights organizations around the world, including international arts, curators’ and critics’ associations, organizations protecting free speech rights, as well as U.S. based performance, arts and creative freedom organizations and alliances, issued a joint statement opposing United States President Donald J. Trump’s immigration ban. Read the full statement below.

• CIMAM asks American University to refrain from censorship

  

  January 2017. The CIMAM board asks Neil Kerwin, as president of American University, to reinstate the sculpture and for it to remain in place until 30th of April as originally agreed with the artist.‎

• In support of Enrico Lunghi

  

  November 2016. We artists, curators, collectors, galleries and friends of the arts would like to publicly express our sympathy to Enrico Lunghi. For many years he has been harrassed by his critics in Luxembourg, who could not stomach his generous and unconditional support of contemporary art and begrudged his international recognition. Today he is resigning from his position as director of MUDAM. Everywhere we turn, people who are fighting for free and ambitious art are coming under increasing pressure.

• Petition against the closure of Museum Morsbroich

  

  March 2015. CIMAM wishes to express its support to the Museum Morsbroich in Leverkusen by sharing the petition against its closure and encouraging CIMAM members to sign.

• A public appeal for the dismissal of the Minister of Culture of Croatia

  

  February 2016. The recently established Croatian Government appointed Mr. Zlatko Hasanbegović as minister of culture. Yet he has no experience in the cultural sector and he publicly promotes extreme political views.

• Call on the Saudi authorities to release Ashraf Fayadh

  

  November 2015. We, the undersigned organisations, all dedicated to the value of creative freedom, are writing to express our grave concern that Ashraf Fayadh has been sentenced to death for apostasy.

• CIMAM supports Walid Raad, Andrew Ross and Ashok Sukumaran after the recent ban on their entry to the UAE

  

  May 2015. In recent weeks, The UAE authorities have refused visas to or denied entry and deported a number of artists and academics including Andrew Ross and Ashok Sukumaran.

• CIMAM supports Tania Bruguera

  

  April 2015. CIMAM wants to express its deep concern for the situation of legal vulnerability that Tania Bruguera is currently facing in Havana, following the artist’s initiative in December 2014 to re-stage her performance Tatlin’s Whisper on Havana’s Revolution Square, giving people access to an open microphone for one minute.

• CIMAM supports Hedwig Saxenhuber and Georg Schöllhammer, curators of Kiev’s biennale

  

  March 2015. CIMAM wishes to express its support to Hedwig Saxenhuber and Georg Schöllhammer and their team in their efforts to hold the biennial despite the withdrawal of Mystetskyi Arsenale, which was supposed to serve as key organizer and main venue.

• Artists for Kobanê

  

  December 2014. More than 200,000 people have been displaced by recent IS attacks in Kobanê, Shengal and many other towns and areas in northern Syria and Iraq. All proceeds of this auction will be used to meet the urgent needs of the refugees. The auction will start on Thursday, December 4th and will be open for bidding through December 18th, 2014.

• Support Manuel Borja-Villel, Director of Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid

  

  October 2014. CIMAM supports Manuel Borja-Villel, Director of Museo Reina Sofía (MNCARS), Madrid, and the entire team at the Museum in their opposition to the attempted censorship of a work of art.

• Mardin Biennial Postponed

  

  October 2014. The Third Mardin Biennial that was supposed to open on 17 October on the Syrian border, in the multi-ethnic ancient city of Mardin, Turkey, has just been postponed.

• What happened to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade?

  

  September 2014. MOCAB has been closed to visitors since 2007 for the purpose of undertaking a much-needed reconstruction which today is still far from completion.

• The Izolyatsia Cultural Center in Donetsk, Ukraine, has been occupied

  

  July 2014. On Monday morning 9th June 2014 the premises of the Izolyatsia foundation were forcibly occupied by the DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic), a terrorist organization operating illegally and without sovereign authority within the city of Donetsk.

• Support Koyo Kouoh and the Raw Material Company

  

  June 2014. After the opening of the exhibition “Precarious Imaging: Visibility and Media Surrounding African Queerness” the contemporary art center was vandalized and forced to interrupt the exhibition due to continuous pressure and acts of violence from the religious community.