We have stated a very strong faction game at the German pavilion so far. But we should also be talking about another artwork – a kind of counterplayer – that was even more simple, more harsh and more powerful: the infamous object “Barca Nostra” by Christoph Büchel. You’ve certainly heard much about the so-called scandal of this artwork: The boat, filled with immigrants, was the location of one of the most terrible tragedies during the great migration wave in 2015. Approximately 1000 refugees died because of a crash between the boat and its rescuing freighter. Placing the shipwreck, “a collective monument and memorial to contemporary migration”[1]at the Arsenale, Venice’s military port, in a pretty unobtrusive manner was – now let’s say – a thing.
As I hadn’t read anything about the Biennale before visiting I didn’t even notice that the shipwreck was an artwork and part of the exhibition. It just looked like a shipwreck that belonged to the Arsenale, fitting perfectly into the surrounding architecture of the port. I didn’t even notice that I was on the stage of Büchel’s installation. Realizing what the shipwreck was, getting to know its history and learning about its place at the main show MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES was just breathtaking. It made me – and probably many other people – shiver with consternation.
Many voices have been criticizing Büchel’s artwork for being cheap provocation, tasteless and disrespectful. That it was counting on its shock effect – playing a perfectly staged PR game. Well, I do agree partly. Actually one could discuss all of the critical voices. In fact, I am not a fan of political art at all either. But this? This was just everything. It was political. It was shocking. It was thoughtful. It was pure. It took you inside of its story without asking. You were part of it and you didn’t even notice. No fuss, no superfluous elements nor anecdotical narration were present there.
Wow… I haven’t been to an art gallery before and the day I would go, I think I would buy all the works there. Lol. This is beautiful.
Thank you! Well, if my blog article has inspired you to visit art galleries, it was all worth it!