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Topic: Cyprus Mail 08/06/2006

Cyprus Mail 08/06/2006
Nicosia Municipality hits back at Manifesta ‘distortions’
By Elias Hazou

NICOSIA for Art (NFA) yesterday presented its side of the story on why Manifesta 6, one of the most important art events in the European art calendar, was abruptly cancelled.

The idea behind the endeavour was to make the city a hive of activity for 100 days for an international set of artists, art students and art critics.

However, last week hosts NFA, run by the Nicosia municipality, pulled the plug on the event. Mayor Michalakis Zampelas explained that the main reason for the NFA terminating the contracts was the insistence of both the curators and the International Foundation Manifesta (IFM) on locating part of Manifesta 6 Art School in north Nicosia.

Both curators were adamant that the concept of having the activities of the biennale on both sides of the Green Line were not as “recent and contrary to the original concept” as implied in the NFA’s statement.

Anton Vidokle, one of the curators claimed that the very outset there was an understanding that Manifesta 6 was to take place on both sides of the city and that local officials said had agreed to this.

The curators speculated that political pressure from above led to the scrapping of Manifesta 6.
But in a statement released yesterday, the NFA denied the accusations, insisting any fault for this turn of events lay squarely on the shoulders of the IFM.

“Firstly, we must stress that the initial idea adopted by the Curators as intended in the organisation included the creation of one integrated school, which the Curators themselves had decided to locate at the Nicosia Municipal Arts Centre.

“Unfortunately, given internal problems amongst the curators, which proved irresolvable in spite of all the efforts on the part of the host to overcome them, we were led to the splitting of the school into three departments, the responsibility of which would fall upon each of the three curators accordingly.

“Just this past February and while the search for the venues was ongoing throughout the whole city, a proposal for the rental of the Misirlizade Centre in Seray Square in occupied Nicosia was submitted. Despite the fact that the curators had previously decided that only the buildings which were offered free of charge would be used (as was the case with all previous Manifesta events), the organisers decided to investigate this possibility.

“It became clear from the outset that the establishment and operation of a department of the school in the occupied territories on a permanent basis stood in conflict both with Cyprus as well as International Law principles. Due to the obligatory passport check by the non-recognised ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, it was not possible for NFA as the host of the event, to guarantee free access to participants as well as to the public at large. This was a contractual obligation of the host. The fact that participation in the main programme of the school was ‘obligatory and not optional (as would have been the case for ‘one-off’ events) created a serious legal problem given that the host would not be in a position to scrutinise and challenge the unlawful process of passport checks exercised by the ‘authorities’ of the so-called ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’.

“Even the establishment and operation of infrastructure on territory that is under occupation created insurmountable, real and fundamental problems (obtaining of licences, insurance, operations, permits for events in public places, and many more). It should also be stressed that, according to the contract, the host is autonomous in respect of the final choice of venues in which the undertakings and events of Manifesta will take place. Both IFM and the Curators repeatedly and strongly disputed NFA’s autonomy in this respect.”

In closing, the NFA expressed its “deepest regret for this unfortunate outcome, but also… surprise and disappointment for the manner in which the matter was handled, by both IFM and the curators, especially through incomplete public statements.

“The reasons that led to the termination of the event were purely of a legal nature and, in contrast to claims manifested by IFM and the curators, had nothing to do with political interference or pressure.

“Unfortunately… the rhetoric surrounding an issue as serious as the Cyprus problem has been used in such a way as to depict and reinforce division and bipolarity, instead of fundamentally contributing to its understanding.

“In spite of all the polemics to which the host, the Nicosia Municipality and the local community is subjected, as part of the distortion of its genuine and honest intentions, the Nicosia Municipality will nevertheless continue to pursue international collaborations that have the potential to create the climate for a real dialogue and promote, within and outside of the arts, programmes that strengthen tolerance and multiculturalism.”