agency yorckberlin refuses to mediate any zeitgeist that glorifies femininity or masculinity.
copyright agency yorckberlin
Olympic Fine Arts Exhibition 2008 | Beijing - VR China | international art exhibition with artist MUSKBOY
 
CENSORSHIP

The honourable International Olympic Committee ( I.O.C. ) is patroness of the Olympic Fine Arts 2008 exhibition.
At the day of the grand-opening the Ministry of Culture of VR CHINA excluded the watercolour drawing GO WEST! by Beijing-born artist Muskboy from its official Olympic exhibition.

image courtesy agency yorckberlin
GO WEST!, by Muskboy

A few days later the Ministry of Culture of VR CHINA also decided that the artwork GO WEST! will not be published in the official Olympic Fine Arts 2008 catalogue, and also will be excluded from the accompanying tour around the globe.






image, courtesy agency yorckberlin

Entrance exhibition Hall of Olympic Fine Arts 2008 - August 2008

He Zhenliang, Chairman of the I.O.C - Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, announced the Olympic Fine Arts 2008 would play a significant role in presenting Chinese culture, arts, custom and development. "It's the first time that the I.O.C has given its patronage to such an event, which is a good platform for east-west cultural communication," he said.

Why did the Ministery of Culture exclude the artwork GO WEST! created by Muskboy from its Olympic Fine Arts 2008 exhibition?


CENSORSHIP

image courtesy agency yorckberlin
1st inappropiate detail "GO WEST!" by Muskboy

Previous history:
The organizing committee of Olympic Fine Arts 2008 selected GO WEST! (created by Beijing-born artist Muskboy) for its official exhibition during 29th Olympic Games in VR CHINA - Beijing.
Above-mentioned committee confirmed via email participation of the artwork.

According to a spokesman of the organizing committee an official of the Ministry of Culture did turn up shortly before the grand-opening and decided, that the artwork GO WEST! created by Muskboy should be excluded immediately from the official Olympiad exhibition.

The organizing committee of Olympic Fine Arts 2008 informed the Chinese interpreter of Agency Yorckberlin, that the artwork GO WEST! created by Muskboy is apparently "too political for the the Ministry of Culture". For example the symbols of the Chinese flag on the underwear alias bathing slip is inappropriate. The Ministry of Culture should allow its "use" within Arts. ( Apparently a law informs about the correct use of these symbols ).

image courtesy agency yorckberlin
2nd inappropiate detail "GO WEST!" by Muskboy

Anyway, out of a well-addressed mood, Agency Yorckberlin suggested provocatively ( agreed with the artist ), that the Ministry of Culture does have the permission to re-colour the swimming slip alias underwear non-politically ,. - )

Shortly after, the Chinese interpreter of Agency Yorckberlin was informed by a spokesman of the organizing committee of Olympic Fine Arts 2008 exhibition, that the Ministry of Culture is going to ignore any communication regarding the artwork GO WEST!. The same spokesman frankly informed the Chinese interpreter of Agency Yorckberlin, that the Ministry of Culture is apparently not amused about male nudes too, ( especially the one with the butt exposed and a male hand, probably touching another butt ) in front of the Chinese flag.

image courtesy agency yorckberlin
3rd inappropiate detail "GO WEST!" by Muskboy

Besides, the resting young man appears to be too weak.

International Olympic Committee first held the Olympic sports and art contest in Sydney for the 2000 Games. The exhibition is hosted by the IOC and supported by the Ministry of Culture of China. It is a major component of the concept of the "People's Olympics" and apparently a key task of the Ministry of Culture.

The exhibition is themed China and the world with the slogan The arts complete the spirit of the Olympic Games. It aimed to represent the allure of Chinese arts and culture and sought to symbolize the joining of all the world's culture, according to a statement on its official website.

image courtesy Agency Yorckberlin View entrance Hall Olympic Fine Arts 2008

The exhibition is divided into two phases: The first phase is scheduled from August 12th-18th at the China International Exhibition Center; the second phase will span from August 20th to September 17th at the Beijing Working People's Cultural Palace. A smaller version is sheduled for a tour of China and other parts of the world later.

Li Changchun, a member of the Central Committee Political Bureau, Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president and Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC honorary president, attended the opening ceremony.

Censorship

Political aims to be focussed:
1) The IOC should support its official Olympic Fine Arts Committee, that freedom of expression of Contemporary Arts is guaranteed at any time.
2) The IOC should never accept, that a non-democratic government, or one of its operating governmental institutions overrule(s) on behalf of their government the final selection of Arts, created by the official Olympic Fine Arts Committee.
3) We would like, that IOC is going to garantuee institutionally for all futuring operating Olympic Fine Arts Committees an immunity, and IOC should protect the decission-making members of this committee against the arbitrariness of governmental institutions.

Therefore we have to inform worldwide journalists about this current censorship by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. It should precise officially, for which reason(s) the artwork GO WEST is banned from the official Olympic Fine Arts exhibition.
We would like to set a global discourse about the importancy of the autonomous function of the official Olympic Fine Arts Committee.

Meanwhile, we have an overwhelming feedback, a lot of helping writing hands, all keenly interested in knowing more about the GO WEST censorship.

How can we shape/precise together a democratic guideline for censorhipless Olympic Fine Arts exhibitions in the future?

Final news: On various requests of Mr. W. Koppelman, co-founder of Agency Yorckberlin, the organizing committee of the Olympic Fine Arts 2008 exhibition finally confirmed, that the artwork Go West! "was denied", and "can not exhibit in the formal exhibition". The international department of Organizing Committee of OFA 2008 wishes "another chance to cooperate again in art and culture".

agency yorckberlin

| return |

Mit dem Urteil vom 12. Mai 1998 hat das Landgericht Hamburg entschieden, daß man durch die Ausbringung eines Links die Inhalte der gelinkten Seite ggf. mit zu verantworten hat. Dies kann - so das LG - nur dadurch verhindert werden, daß man sich ausdrücklich von diesen Inhalten distanziert. Daher gilt für all unsere Links: wir möchten betonen, dass wir keinerlei Einfluß auf die Gestaltung und die Inhalte der gelinkten Seiten haben. Deshalb distanzieren wir uns hiermit ausdrücklich von allen Inhalten aller gelinkten Seiten auf unserer Homepage und machen uns ihre Inhalte nicht zu eigen. Diese Erklärung gilt für alle auf unserer Homepage ausgebrachten Links und für alle Inhalte der Seiten, zu denen diese Links führen.

agency yorckberlin