RSS Feeds

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Activism Home page  back Print  Send To friend PSC accuses Lacoste Elysée Prize of `Palphobia` Nation Estate - Olive Tree (one of Sansour's exhibits) Press release Palestine Solidarity Campaign Tuesday 20th January 2011 http://www.palestinecampaign.org/index7b.asp?m_id=1&l1_id=4&l2_id=25&Content_ID=2302 Palestine Solidarity Campaign has denounced the decision by the Lacoste Elysée Prize to exclude artist Larissa Sansour from the final shortlist on grounds that her work is too ‘pro-Palestinian’, despite the museum having originally invited her to join the shortlist. PSC Campaigns Officer, Sara Apps, said: ‘Excluding one of Bethlehem’s foremost artists on the grounds that her work is too pro-Palestinian isn’t much of a present for an artist from the town where Christmas and Christianity was born. Would they exclude works by a British artist on the grounds they were too pro-British, or an Israeli artist on the grounds they were pro-Israel? It is a bizarre decision and is another example of the commonplace silencing of Palestinians. We urge Lacoste Elysee to reconsider their position or stand accused of being anti-Palestinian. Palestine Solidarity Campaign are inviting their twitter followers to provide examples of prejudice against Palestinians #palphobia. Contact For more information contact Sara Apps on 0207 700 6192 / 00 44 7870 219 512 / email sara.apps@palestinecampign.org To contact the artist, Larissa Sansour or assistant Soren Lind on +44 784 9011 977 and info@larissasansour.com Notes for the editor PSC twitter account is on PSCupdates The press release from the artist is copied below for information: LACOSTE: NO ROOM FOR PALESTINIAN ARTIST French fashion brand demands the removal of Bethlehem artist Larissa Sansour from major photographic prize. The prestigious €25,000 Lacoste Elysée Prize is awarded by the Swiss Musée de l’Elysée with sponsorship from Lacoste, the clothing brand. Larissa Sansour was among the eight artists shortlisted for the 2011 prize. In December 2011, Lacoste demanded that her nomination be revoked. Lacoste stated their refusal to support Sansour’s work, labelling it ‘too pro-Palestinian’. A special jury will convene in January 2012 to select the winner. As a nominee, Sansour was awarded a bursary of €4,000 and given carte blanche to produce a portfolio of images for the final judging. In November 2011, three photos for Sansour’s Nation Estate project were accepted, and she was congratulated by the prize administrators on her work and professionalism. Sansour’s name was included on all the literature relating to the prize and on the website as an official nominee. Her name has since been removed, just as her project has been withdrawn from an upcoming issue of contemporary art magazine ArtReview introducing the nominated artists. In an attempt to mask the reasons for her dismissal, Sansour was asked to approve a statement saying that she withdrew from her nomination ‘in order to pursue other opportunities’. Sansour has refused. Sansour says: “I am very sad and shocked by this development. This year Palestine was officially admitted to UNESCO, yet we are still being silenced. As a politically involved artist I am no stranger to opposition, but never before have I been censored by the very same people who nominated me in the first place. Lacoste’s prejudice and censorship puts a major dent in the idea of corporate involvement in the arts. It is deeply worrying.” Sansour’s shortlisted work, Nation Estate, is conceived in the wake of the Palestinian bid for UN membership. Nation Estate depicts a science fiction-style Palestinian state in the form of a single skyscraper housing the entire Palestinian population. Inside this new Nation Estate, the residents have recreated their lost cities on separate floors: Jerusalem on 3, Ramallah on 4, Sansour’s own hometown of Bethlehem on 5, etc. Regretting Lacoste’s decision to censor Sansour’s work, Musée de l’Elysée has offered to exhibit the Nation Estate project outside of the confines of the Lacoste sponsorship. Musée de l’Elysée is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Lacoste Elysée Prize 2011 is the award’s second edition. http://www.elysee.ch/en/lacoste-elysee-prize-2011/ the shortlist bz Links to the latest articles in this section Refusing the war! Demonstration today, Thur. Apris 24, at 7.30 pm, Habima Square, Tel Aviv Refusing the war! Demonstration today, Thur. Apris 24, at 7.30 pm, Habima Square, Tel Aviv Saturday night protests: No to Netanyahu`s war!