Happening by Huseyin Oylum

Palais de Justice / Brussels - Belgium
24 October 2018 - 16.00h

THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL OFFICIAL ARTIST MARCH 
STARTS IN BRUSSELS BELGIUM
Please have some time to read this text and share with your Artist friends and their artist friends if you care for the future of Arts and the Artists all around the world. We need your love, support and participation, THE PEOPLE outside the Art World! Thank YOU!
“Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art …wait. Marching for your money is the perfect art!”  Andy Warhol

ARTIST FIRST! 
We are Artists! We are the most important reason of arts and the members the industry called the Art World. We are the custodians of a global nations' cultural heritage and a guiding light for the society. We work without social security and no income guarantee for our future. We work most of the time for free. We have no pension, no protection. Our efforts and free hard work are not acknowledged, our extraordinary artistry/skills/talent infantilized then exploited for a promise of an 'institutional exposure' with an unspoken assumptions that we may be remunerated by the market as a result and various other associated inadequacies that feed into the normalization of this sort of mentality in the field. We lost our power in the name of art creation while trying to maintain the peace, sacrificing what’s right for us and at the end being fundamentally ignored for what we do as a job. There is no co-operation or relation. This is the point in time when we have to determine our own sense of power. A sense of power that isn’t dependent on the limited circus of persons who claim to exercise ruthless authority and their achievement-at-all-cost conditionings whom consider themselves the Art World where there is little or none distribution of power, no compromise or willing to negotiate possible practical solutions but only domination and control. We need to have serious dialogue about our relationships with those authorities. We need to renegotiate the terms and/or change the structure of our relationships and create new forms of relationships that are harmonious to either side. We need established norms and commitments There is hardly any way to help anyone, no way to fight abuses, and no way to assert quality. We are discredited, undervalued and underappreciated in our community. Being an artist is about patience, failures, broken hearts above all else= Sweat! We are incredibly vulnerable and undefended. We became the slaves of the brutal financial systems that call itself the Art Market and those whom that benefits the most. We are the people who generate the cultural wealth of the world are not given the same dignity and respect from Governments equivalent to all the other workers’ social benefits/status/freedom of association etc. Our future is uncertain and unpredictable. There is no togetherness with lack of love and solidarity in the competitive art business even in the workspace. Neglected solidarity within the art world keeps creating huge gaps between artists between artists and other professionals in the field. There is no sense of fairness no love and care for the Artist.  We want to be validated in happy relationships. WE are not happy. So WE MARCH!
We march for equality. We march for equity. We march for a caring Art World that does not think profit first/ career-first mentality. We march for our rights rightly deserved and the rights that of the future generation of Artists and their freedom of expression. We march for our sexually assaulted/harassed fellow Artists/ colleagues in this industry and other industries, seek an end and protest against this implicit normality. “Would you like to come back to my place and have a look at those photos I was telling you about? --Well, NO. FUCK YOU!” We march for equality for female Artists. We march for diversify state museums and many other major institutions all over the world mainly in Europe and North America that overlook the work of Artists of various backgrounds of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, and other personal backgrounds. We march for the degraded reputation of visual arts in front of the whole world by auction houses every year that cause a global misunderstanding of what Art means by definition. We march for careless, sloppy affairs of the egoist museums, art centers and all institutions in the same nature and non-organizations 'must-change' policies that do not support Artist's financial well-being. YES! We march for Artist fees! (Talks, panels, public discussion, promoting large-scale exhibitions, production costs, all forms of labor and time spent). If artists are not paid or not paid properly then public art institutions turn heavily on individuals being wealthy backgrounds. Public institutions should reflect the whole of the culture not an elite subsection of it. Artist fee is essential to the diversity and sustainability of the arts and culture sector in the long term. Therefore artist fee is urgency before too many great artists are broken or disheartened by an expectation that they can perpetually work for free. WE CANNOT AFFORD WORKING FOR FREE ANYMORE! All public and private art institutions should welcome, participate and advocate for artist fee to be properly remunerated. Artist fees should become a norm! We march for our reproduction and communication rights. We march for those institutions and their wrong sponsoring choices along with their political positions that do not match with the identity of a prominent Art institution on reasonable subjective grounds. (Trump supporters as major donors or trustees who are Republicans in US etc.) How does that sit with the curatorial decisions of an art institution? An artist became someone who sells work through a commercial system, to people they don't know whose political and social affiliations they don't know. Gallerist should inform and discuss with the artist together if there is a deal concerning two important buyers who are interested in the same work. The artist should be able to have the last word to choose the candidate if necessary according to certain parameters (loyalty, commitment, credibility, curiosity… love of art for example!) that matters to her the most and matches her career and legacy accordingly. The tax should be included in the sale price divided between the gallerist, collector and the artist. We march for those major institutions that depends their selection of works on wealthy patrons and their bourgeois taste, the restricted choice of the art they buy collect and exhibit that only contributes to the culture as cheap substitutes that does not allow a space for an authentic work of art to be seen, appreciated that has freedom of expression and to allow artists to create fearless masterpieces for future societies. The museum should be independent of the galleries, dealers in their judgements in search for new artists. The galleries must be considered as only the business that they are. Everyone should be independent. The curator should be independent. The critic should be independent. The artist should be independent. We march for the cruel commercial gallery systems that manipulate Artist vulnerabilities to generate too much income by any means necessary for their financial gain to satisfy the demand as short time as possible. Even a mediocre work of art is sold in no time by those galleries with their unrealistic expectations for success along with their 'intended on exceeding’ monthly quotas, the American Dream, their money-first aggressions that only distorts the market. Artists are increasingly mollified by commercial obedience by commercial oriented galleries and museums with short deadlines that has distorted the capacity of an artist to create genuine works and produce freely. Artists should not be pressured by a gallery to produce the same work over and over again like a cash-cow because the similar work sells better. Artist doesn’t need to fill any walls or floors of the museum (unless she decides it) just because space is huge. These factors all eliminate serious art. Curators should think different conceptual solutions for large-scale exhibitions in museums (high budget biennials, art fairs are another example) not merely fill in the space but to match the quantity or size of a work of artist to fit in the space. Filling a space with new works, the rise of factory production, the unnecessary repetitive serial works for solo shows became an international entertainment, a marketing tool, a reason for a selfie shot, with an expectation from artist to produce significant works in few months. We march for legal contracts, written agreements as self-employed producer. Galleries should start to have short-term gig-contracts with artists to allow as many artists to have a chance to exhibit and sell their works or longer-term contracts that depend on artist commercial and career performances. This is crucial for both Artist and gallerist independence. Business needs defense and a lot of it. We march for immediate payment after the sales and timely payments prior to participating in an exhibition. The artist should get paid first and not once all the sales or administration from the exhibition are completed. We march for residencies that ask money from the Artists. Some of those art residencies behave as holiday companies and curate their customers??? In a capitalist society a customer is not expected to provide a CV, pay for an application fee, provide references, book a year in advance or submit to a (self-appointed, highly subjective, and questionably qualified) curatorial panel and wait three to six months or more for a reply. The customer pays for the service and expects to get it. In this case, the only criterion should be the payment! We march for those museums ask an entrance fee from Artists. Artists should not pay an entrance fee for a museum exhibition or their permanent collection all around the world. Entrance fee for Artist in a museum should be abolished forever! We march for neglected togetherness and lack of solidarity, love, collectivity and mutual support in the competitive dog-eats-dog art world network circles that does not give a chance to introvert artists who are less capable of doing the catwalk. Should we feel sorry for Charlotte, Marie or Jim for being too anxious? We march for the formal acknowledgment of being an Artist as a real profession not a 'waste of time' and remind the value of an Artist in our society for an established respect and recognition from Governments to enjoy the liberties and rights (social, moral and economical) all around the globe. We also call Governments’ national systems to recognize the specific nature of the work of artists and work alongside artists to develop feasible schemes for artist benefits. We have no time left to romanticize the stigma of the "Starving Artist" in a 50 billion dollar industry with global Art Markets, Auction Houses with their infamous 'chandelier biddings'. We march for the complete transformation of current financial systems in the winner-takes-all Art Market. YES to Artist Royalties! Droit De Suite! Visual artists are the only members of the creative community around the globe that do not receive residual payments for the later sales of their work. The Resale Rights allows an artist to maintain a permanent link with their work and add value which is of the utmost importance in the globalized market by increased circulation of artworks. The Royalty fee should not only favor of those successful artists in the market sphere. The art prices should be in a certain categorization within their markets they perform! Artistic value cannot be judged just like color or taste. It is personal. Thus art’s monetary value should be separated fundamentally from its artistic value AND ART CRITICISM!! This is crucial to save Art, and let the money battle/game for those who have the most with their favorite paintings changing each year. For example my polyamorous state of mind tells me this year I’m in love’ with everything from Matisse and Picasso’s late paintings and whatever he created just before he left specifically in the last ten years of his life and next year I want to flirt with my lovely M. Broodthaers, his first works and art market’s darling to be Mr. spoiled (What a dish he is! His proud manhood I could only objectify in my dark studio ‘straight from the tube’ sort of ways and paint the paintings he’d never paint!) M. Kippenberger’s ‘Preis’ pictures, the pictures he exhibited at the Paris bar in Berlin for free alcohol and probably his sculpture “Street lamp for drunks”. Do they sell as much? No. Should anyone care about this? Not at all! It is a foolish game for the rich. Minor markets should have a limited price fixing below a certain price in order to protect artists who perform in those markets for not to be sucked up by the big names to enjoy their royalties in comparison to the major markets. The fee calculation should be taken from resale currency price as the basis for living Artist, auction price for the dead artists. Artist and their estates should be the exclusive beneficiaries to enjoy greatly their commercial success and the financial gains from the resale of their art and must receive proper compensation, not primarily the auction house or a gallery the collectors who keep all the money on grandiose sales of the fine art when in fact they have nothing to do with its creation. Greed/self-interest/exclusion versus principle/caring, sharing/inclusion. We march for global Resale Rights schemes recognized in major and minor art markets and we want them to be interconnected for this system to work smoothly and efficiently. We want more accurate reporting and effective enforcement of sales and honest returns in first and secondary art markets and tertiary sales within the collecting community so that Artist can claim their Resale Rights and royalties in the future with no trouble. We march for a greater transparency in the art market. There is no opacity on the high-end art trade at all. While lack of transparency does not necessarily guarantee bad behavior (JA JA JA OH LA LA LA!) it certainly incentivizes it. We march for Art Market that is incredibly fragmented with its price-fixing schemes that only benefits the minuscule percentage of high capital collector and involved galleries that exclude other players, decide, declare and dictate what is monetarily valuable. The gambling mechanism of the shady art market is also manipulated by crooks/criminals/drug dealers (Hi! by the way) to defraud the government and laundering money with some of those related galleries/auction houses and their collectors (Somehow?? Republicans in the U.S. have no interest to keep these schemes performed in the name of ‘art trading’ under control). We march for more bargain power in relation to auction houses, galleries and other art market professionals. We call all the well- established artists and artists who are successful in the market spheres from top to bottom deck to join the dialogue to bring great insights to many questions to be raised to major problems that all artists face today. We march for these historic imbalances in the treatment of visual artists. We do not believe the existence of Institutions of all kind in the future!

To the Artists all around the world and to art lovers,
I, the Artist, will stand in front of Palais de Justice Brussels with my placards around 16.00h. My left shoulder and right shoulder with my hands with my friends and their friends, Artist supporters, lovers of art and put all our differences aside, come together, stick together and run riot in positivity! I will walk through Rue de la Regence to The Royal Museum of Fine Arts past Magritte Museum at Place Royale down to Mont des Art. I will bring a camera make some photos of each other. Invite the press if you have contacts! Maybe it is needed maybe not! There is no fixed programming. No plan. We go with the flow. No vandalism. Everyone should decide what they want to do on their OWN! You can make music, any sort music, walk with your music, sing with your music, cycle with your loudspeakers and placards. If you decide to walk with a placard, make your own placard, please. I won’t have enough with me. Make placards that you can hold together. Make funny placards. Make serious placards. Making placards is so much fun and it feels great.
Here are some tips:  WE ALL GO VIRAL! 
We can do many things! Use technology to connect! Electronic devise of any kind! Broadcast yourself, play hard music near people on the street show your placards and leave. (Do it with joy and a dose of seriousness) put your photos, your videos whatever you have at hand immediately on social media with hashtags “ArtistMarch” or “StopArtistSlavery”  or  or  “ArtistPride” post it/share it. Like it/love it. Facebook, Instagram, whichever social media is popular…apps of the same nature. Snap chat etc. Cut out Matisse hearts in different bright colors and sizes drop them on the floors of museum or galleries. Walk with your placards but only show them when you think is a good moment or a spot. Buy McDonald’s Hamburger and smear it on a museum window, take a selfie and disappear. Write Artists names throw it to the canal. Visit Marcel (Broodthaers) and leave a placard and whisper ‘Everything is going to be alright’ Go to the Brussels Stock Exchange (Beurs) and dance in front of the building with funny placards ( some people even pay for the entertainment) or show them discretely to the people passing. Don’t forget. This is not real marching, right? This is art ;) If you get arrested by the Police, it is at your own risk. You can tell the police it is an art performance, one can always get away with art! The action becomes useless. You are protected! It should work. You have enough to prove! Freedom of Expression! Nevertheless shit happens in some countries, STILL! Please, do not take huge risks on your own if you are in a country with no democracy. We are a team. We will come and get you out! Promise! Write long poetries, love letters to your lover in the cell. Tell her/him how much you love her, how much you’ve missed her/him. Bring sunflowers. They are impressive. Make it up! Maybe he/she says yes?????? Who knows! Or break-up if it is abusive! DIG DEEEEEEP WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FUCKING LOVE. Yep that boring paradox again. Bah; LOVE WITHOUT PAYING ISN’T ROMANCE! Free yourself. Take your power back! Someone better will find you and you’ll find love again! Save it for the best. No worries. Go to Academy de Beaux Art show your placards to anyone you see and check open student studios, leave some Matisse hearts, Picasso eyes, Basquiat crowns, anything from Picabia works( his name for example) Van Gogh flowers, / Warhol $$$$ etc.  Go to fashion Academy La Cambre ask student to wear their clothes make a fashion shoot with those weird outfits, style it with your placards send it to ID or Interview Magazine. You can choose if you like to do all these in the evening time, night time or day time depends on what you decide to do. Some participant could stay together. It is more fun. You can facetime with smartphones with other participants while doing the actions and record, share it on social media. Come together and make music and dance with placards. Kiss, hug each other. Write/spray/draw/ public toilets, toilets of all institutions, art academy toilets Artist March, Stop Artist Slavery, Artist RIGHTS all around the world (don’t forget to draw Matisse hearts maybe some penises around it).Take a selfie together with the drawing and post it on social media. Meet people and talk to them, take selfies with people you don’t know with placards. Go to an open-air party with your placards, dance with the music, if you are in South America, Africa or Australia, North America, Asia? Make your own march! Go to St Catherine around the church throw cut-out hearts with artists name on it, your name on it and some pocket change into the pool ( M-maybe it comes back) Take a selfie and post it, always, in every action! Go to public parks, do your crazy there. Can you do a yoga pose with a placard?? Then do it. If you have a bicycle make a placard go into the busiest street with it and cycle in between the cars. Try to connect with people. Do all these action as if you are having a nice party, a birthday party. All is possible. Do not involve with any aggression or transgression. Keep your profile safe and kind. We are Artists. Write love and peace give it to the people, make a bedroom scene like Yoko and John invite the press, make a live video on FB, Instagram, Twitter share it on social media with the world. Ask YouTube, Instagram, Facebook celebrities whose have millions of followers, explain the cause to help you to reach out millions of people in half a day. They can put your selfies and your videos on their channel. Don’t you think this is possible? Everything is possible.com my dear. Imagine! Always have fun doing these things!!!!! Connect all human beings around the world through internet to say NO to oppressive world! Go and visit openings of art galleries museums, gallery week-ends, art fairs, biennials, dress to impress and go to fancy expensive art parties that you aren’t invited, hide the placards show them after you get in, introduce yourself, protest, drink all the alcohol eat all the food, ask money (Make it dramatic, it does work sometimes!), make a huge scene, annoy people with your witty jokes, ask strange questions. Laugh out loud and hard! Because it is tragicomic! Ha. Ha Ha. Ha. Do all these things gradually not all at once. They should handle it. Please always be kind! Go to a restaurant eat moules&frites. ENJOY it! If you have enough money!! Collect empty muscles or egg shells and scatter in front of art galleries and institutions. RESIST! This should never end until our voice is heard! Paint your body in Kapoor black or Kapoor pink what about Kapoor red? Take a selfie share it and disappear (these are his colors not yours!) Happy March! PEACE.
Vive l’art. Vive l’artiste.