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world news Diasabra 28 augustus 2021

Polish art show defies ‘cancel culture’ but some see racism

(AP) — An exhibition at ing them that works were be-
a Polish state museum The most controversial per- ing shown by far-right artists.
opening Friday features son included is Dan Park, a
the works of provocative Swedish provocateur who has Some said they were un-
artists in what organizers been jailed on hate crimes in settled by that message, in-
describe as a celebration Sweden. In 2009, Park placed cluding Emma Elliott, an
of free speech, and a chal- swastikas and boxes labeled antifascist artist whose works
lenge to political correct- “Zyklon B” — the gas used explore how women are usu-
ness and “cancel culture” in the mass murder of Jews ally the first targets of fascist
on the political left. during the Holocaust — in regimes. But she and the oth-
front of a Jewish community ers present — including two
Some critics, however, accuse center in Malmo. Jewish artists — defended
organizers of giving a plat- the exhibit as an important
form to antisemitic and racist The Jewish community in platform for different voices.
messages under the pretense Poland strongly protested the the taboo around criticizing ish conceptual artist Kristian
of defending freedom of ex- inclusion of Park. In an open “Yes, I find some of the im- the gay rights movement. But von Hornsleth, who per-
pression. letter to the museum direc- ages here not only disturb- he told the AP that organiz- suaded 340 Ugandan villag-
tor, rabbis and other Jewish ing but offensive,” said Marc ers decided in the end not to ers in 2006 to legally change
“Political Art,” which fea- representatives argued that Provisor, an Israeli artist. include it. their names to Hornsleth in
tures the works of nearly 30 promoting such artists of- “But I think it’s important exchange for pigs and goats.
artists, is the second exhibi- fends all people in a country for the writers of those letters One of Jensen’s works that Hornsleth said the work was
tion at the Ujazdowski Castle where 6 million Polish citi- to come (and) face what dis- did make it shows Elvis Pres- a critical commentary on the
Center for Contemporary zens — half of whom were turbs you.” ley’s face photoshopped onto inability of Western devel-
Art under director Piotr Ber- Jews — were murdered dur- the body of a Nazi pointing opment aid to help people
natowicz, who was appointed ing World War II. Separately, an anti-fascist a gun at Jews in the Warsaw in Africa, but some saw his
by Poland’s populist conser- network in Poland also con- Ghetto. The work is titled work as racist.
vative ruling party in 2019. “Free expression is essential demned the exhibition, “In the Ghetto” — the name
to a democratic society, but which it said was being used of an Elvis Presley song. Co-curator Jon Eirik Lund-
Since it came to power in free expression still has lim- to “justify right wing hate berg, a Norwegian who runs
2015, the Law and Justice its,” Poland’s chief rabbi, Mi- speech.” The exhibit also features the Laesoe Kunsthal gallery
party has harnessed the coun- chael Schudrich, said. works by Lars Vilks, a Swed- in Denmark, denied that the
try’s cultural institutions in a Among the works by Park ish artist who lives under show promotes racism, and
mission to promote conser- At a news conference on Fri- being shown in Warsaw is a police protection for mak- said its aim is to fight for free-
vative and patriotic values day, the director, Bernatow- poster that presents Anders ing a drawing of a dog with dom of speech in defense of
— including the art center icz, said he could understand Behring Breivik, the right- the head of the Prophet Mu- democracy.
housed in a reconstructed the position of the Jewish or- wing extremist who killed hammed. The drawing upset
castle that has showcased ex- ganizations, acknowledging 77 people in twin attacks many Muslims in 2007 and “The best way to protect
perimental and avant-garde that some of the work is pro- in Norway, as a supposed brought Vilks death threats any minority is to make sure
art in Warsaw for 30 years. vocative and controversial. model for the clothing brand from extremists. there is freedom of speech,”
But he said the Jewish repre- Lacoste. he said.
The museum says the “Po- sentatives should see the ex- Ahead of the opening, a Ye-
litical Art” show provides a hibition before criticizing it. Another provocateur is Uwe meni-British artist who has Hornsleth, the artist who
space for rebellious artists Max Jensen, a Danish artist also received death threats photographed Ugandan vil-
sometimes shunned else- “I am not creating a plat- whose performances have in- for works critical of Islam, lagers, said: “Even if this
where. The exhibition in- form propagating any types cluded urinating and defecat- Tasleem Mulhall, met Vilks show was right-wing and
cludes works critical of the of Nazi or neo-Nazi views,” ing on objects and running for the first time. When she crazy, it should be allowed
authoritarian regimes in Rus- Bernatowicz said. “I am cre- around naked. He has several learned of his background, because it’s art. But it’s not
sia and Belarus, works by ating a platform for art to be vandalism convictions. she hugged him and told him — it’s really about creating a
women from Iran and Yemen expressed.” she admired him. space in which anybody can
critical of oppression in the Jensen brought to Warsaw disagree about anything.”
Muslim world, and others Several artists at the news a large flag made up of four Also included in “Political
that use swastikas or symbols conference said they received smaller LGBT pride flags an- Art” is a wall of photos of “Political Art” runs through
rooted in the Holocaust in an emails from anonymous anti- gled to create a swastika. He Ugandans holding up IDs. January 16.
apparently ironic way. fascists the day before, warn- said it’s his way of protesting It is part of a project by Dan-

Brazil water survey heightens alarm over extreme drought

(AP) — The Brazilian land, left water covering just cluding Google and The Na- on Thursday said hydroelec- offers important insight into
scientists were skeptical. one-quarter the area it did 30 ture Conservancy. They used tric dam reservoirs are “at the Brazilian water resources.
They ran different models years ago. artificial intelligence to parse limit of the limit.” They noted, however, use of
to check calculations, but some 150,000 satellite im- artificial intelligence to ana-
all returned the same star- And the data only went ages measuring the surface of “The prospects are not good; lyze satellite images without
tling result. through 2020 -- before this lakes, rivers, marshes and all we’re losing natural capital, on-the-ground verification
year’s drought that is Brazil’s surface water across Brazil. we’re losing water that feeds could increase the margin of
The country with the most worst in nine decades. industries, energy generation error.
freshwater resources on the The figures checked out, and and agribusiness,” Bernardi-
planet steadily lost 15% of “When we got the first results, the MapBiomas data pub- no said. Brazil’s “society as a Evaporation is a part of the
its surface water since 1991. we wondered if there was a lished this week has height- whole is losing this very pre- natural cycle that can dimin-
Gradual retreat in the Brazil- problem in the equations,” ened an existing sense of cious resource, and losing it ish water resources, particu-
ian share of the Pantanal, the said Cassio Bernardino, a alarm. The ongoing drought at a frighteningly fast rate.” larly in areas with shallower
world’s largest tropical wet- project manager for environ- has already boosted en- The study accompanying supplies like the Pantanal
mental group WWF-Brazil, ergy costs and food prices, MapBiomas’s data hasn’t wetlands, which sprawl
which took part in the survey withered crops, rendered been published yet. Two across up to 80,000 square
along with Brazilian univer- vast swaths of forest more outside experts consulted by miles in three countries. It is
sities and local partners like susceptible to wildfire and The Associated Press who a persistent problem in plac-
the Amazon Environmental prompted specialists to warn reviewed the survey’s meth- es like Lake Mead and Lake
Research Institute, plus in- of possible electricity short- odology said the approach Powell in the Colorado River
ternational collaborators in- ages. President Jair Bolsonaro appears robust, and its scale basin.