English - German

Open Letter

To the
Managing Director of STEG Hamburg Ltd.
Hans Joachim Rösner
Schulterblatt 26-36
20357 Hamburg
Germany

Hamburg, June 21, 2011

Dear Mister Rösner,

we are shocked to hear from your attempt to prohibit meetings in the context of the international Right to the City Congress, in the rooms of the association Trägerverein Marktstrasse 138.

Precisely you have written to the association on June 1, 2011: "As we agreed with you, the space in Marktstraße 138 can temporarily be used by the association for artistic ends. Political meetings in this context would contradict our previous arrangements and would be an abuse of the allocated premises."

These sentences constitute a blatant attempt to censor the content of artistic work, and thus a violation of the freedom of art protected by § 5 of the constitution (Grundgesetz).

In it's answer to you, the association Trägerverein Markstrasse 138 clearly pointed out it's artistic approach: "The basis of the idea of the Social Sculpture is every human, who, through thinking and language develops social structures. This development of society is a continuing creative process. It is arts task, to bring this process to human consciousness."

On top of this artistic definition, the association has provided you with a list of the planned events. One glance at the congress' webpage is enough to see, who is entering the stage in Marktstrasse: Professor of art Brett Bloom (Jutland Artacademy, Aarhus, DK), Dr. Anke Haarmann (Lecturer at Leuphana University Lüneburg), the Austrian Architecturemagazine "dérive" (Vienna), die Kunstzeitschriften "The Journal of Aesthetics & Protest" (Los Angeles), "mute" (London), the publishing house "temporary services" (Chicago/Copenhagen) and the Hamburg based "Journal of North-East Issues".

Your abysmal reply to the letter of the association: "Your reply surely is intended  to be spirited or funny. We value this "answer" as a confirmation of the misuse of the rooms in the ground floor of Marktstrasse 138."

We are determined to oppose such outrageous ignorance.

Because besides the institutionally safeguarded list of internationally exhibited participants in these meetings, who without doubt constitute an "artistic end" even in a limited understanding of art, today's extended concept of art, to which the term "Social Sculpture" refers, goes even further. Because art projects since the Nineties create communicative plattforms of exchange - for oppositionals, unemployed, refugees or people engaged in other fields. Worldwide, biennials show work with emancipatory and explicitly political content - and practice. Artists deal critically with urban development, they cooperate with political and social movements and intervene actively into urban processes. The audience, thus pulls off it's passive, consumptive role and creates, together with artists, spaces of active participation, that often create conflict with the political mainstream.

For this extended art practice all of the meetings and events of the Hamburg Right to the City Congress are interesting and relevant. In this form or another, they could be part of any biennial worldwide or of any documenta in the last 15 years. Particularly these critical-political projects are, what the Hamburg Art in Public Space Program became receptive for, and it is not by chance, that the Cultural Board has funded the Congress partly.

Already in the 80ies, the Federal Constitutional Court has defined the freedom of art and it's relation to politics and political content very clearly: "If a meeting is protected by Article 5 Section 3 Sentence 1 of the Constitution, even the obvious and unambiguous political intention of the organizers can not change this. Binding rules and judgements of artistic activity can not be instituted either, where artists deal with current events; the field of "engaged art" is not excluded from the guaranteed freedom".

Because the STEG deals with buildings for art more frequently these days, and even is called to play by the Senate as a custodian for the Gängeviertel, or as a developer for "Creative Real Estate", we sharply reject this interference into artistic work.

We, the undersigned, request you, to apologize to the artists and the association, whose constitutional rights have been infringed. On top of that we expect from the STEG a public declaration, to respect the constitution in the future, and to guarantee the freedom of art, concerning content and form, to the full extend.

We expect your apologies and declaration till June 27, 2011.

Yours respectfully,

Lara Almarcegui, Artist, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Jennifer Bennett, Freie Künstlerin, Hamburg

Prof. Dr. Karen van den Berg, Kunstwissenschaftlerin, Zeppelin Universität Friedrichshafen

Prof. Dr. Ulrike Bergermann, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig

Carolin Berendts, Kulturwissenschaftlerin, Berlin

Eva Birkenstock, Kuratorin Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz/Berlin

Michael von Bismarck, Fotograf/Gartenkunstnetz, Hamburg

Brett Bloom, Associate Professor, Det Jyske Kunstakademi (The Jutland Royal Academy of Art), Århus, Denmark

Prof. Arno Brandlhuber, Lehrstuhl für Architektur und Stadtforschung an der AdBK Nürnberg, Architekt Berlin

Theo Bruns, Verlag Assoziation A, Hamburg

Tino Buchholz, Stadtsoziologe, Universität Groningen, NL

Larisa Cataño, Freischaffende visuelle Künstlerin, Berlin

Hans D. Christ, Direktor, Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart

Axel Claes, Artist, PTTL - Brussels _ Belgium

Alice Creischer, Künstlerin, Berlin

Margit Czenki, Künstlerin, Filmemacherin, Hamburg

Kerstin Davies, Grafikerin, Hamburg

Mia Diekow, Musikerin und Schauspielerin, Hamburg

Christine Ebeling, Künstlerin, Initiatorin "KULTURSCHUTZGEBIET", Gängeviertel e.V., Hamburg

Eva Egermann, Künstlerin, Wien

Jeanne Faust, Künstlerin, Hamburg

Oliver Frank Musikmanager Hamburg

Dr Brigitte Franzen, Direktorin, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen

Nikolaus Gerszewski, Komponist / Konzertveranstalter

Gesellschaft für operative Kunst

Jonathan Gröne Architekt, Delbrück NRW

Angela Guerreiro, Choreographin, Tänzerin, Kuratorin, Hamburg

Dr. phil. Anke Haarmann, Künstlerin, Kuratorin, Philosophin, Leuphana Universität Hamburg/Lüneburg

Petra Hacker Köchin / Ausbilderin Jugendsozialarbeit Schanzenviertel e.V.

Tino Hanekamp, Autor & Veranstalter, Hamburg

Jakob Hartmann M.A., Kunsthistoriker, Hamburg

Till F.E. Haupt, Künstler, Hamburg

Tom Hensel, Self Employed Freelancer, Frappant, Hamburg

Marc Herbst, Journalist and Artist/ Journal of Aesthetics & Protest, Los Angeles / Leipzig

F. Hinrichs, HANSEPLATTE (Plattenladen für Musik und Kultur aus Hamburg)

Brian Holmes, Cultural Critic, Professor at European Graduate School, Chicago

Mauricio Isaza-Camacho Publizist Ojalá - Zeitschrift in der Diaspora

Dr. Gora Jain, Hamburg

Jakob Jakobsen, Visual Artist, Copenhagen

Journal for Northeast Issues - Art and Community, Hamburg/Berlin

Gesine Judjahn, Yoko Mono, Hamburg/ Marktstraße

Felix Jung, Artivist, Hamburg

Tim Kaiser Künstler, Grafiker Hamburg

Christa Kamleithner, Gastprofessorin an der AdBK in Nürnberg, Masterstudiengang Architektur und Stadtforschung

Professor Grant Kester, Chair, Visual Arts Department, Art History, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California

Nicola Kirkham, Librarian, Private Collection, London

Madlen Kleest, Illustratorin, Artdirektorin, Hamburg

Frederice Klinge/Hamburg Fotografin Mitglied des Aufsichtsrats der Gängeviertel e.G

Carsten Klook, Autor, Hamburg

Katharina Köhler Buback Tonträger Hamburg

Ralf Köster, Golden Pudel Club

Rita Kohel Designerin+ Künstlerin, Gängeviertel, Hamburg

Peggy Kostaras, Musikmanagerin, Hamburg

Hannah Kowalski, Dramaturgin, Gängeviertel

Jeanette Kratzert, Grafikerin, Hamburg

Juliane Kruppke, Künstlerin Hamburg/Gängeviertel

Gesa Lange, Künstlerin, Hamburg

Thomas Lörtsch, Informations-Architekt, Hamburg

LOMU – local organized multitude, Hamburg

Dirk von Lowtzow, Musiker, Tocotronic, Berlin

Matteo Lucchetti, Independent Curator, Milan

Manuel Lutz, PhD candidate, DFG fellow, Transatlatlantisches Graduiertenkolleg Berlin-New York, TU Berlin

Viktor Marek, Musiker, Geschäftsleiter Golden Pudel Club, HH

Prof. Dr. Christian Martin Politikwissenschaft Universität Kiel

Alejandro Meitin, artist, lawyer, environmental activist, co-founder / coordinator Ala Plástica, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Roland Meyer, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Universität der Künste Berlin

Prof. Eduardo Molinari, visual artist, IUNA / Instituto Universitario Nacional de Arte, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hanna Mittelstädt, Lutz Schulenburg, Edition Nautilus, Hamburg

Peter Mutschler, Direktor und Kurator PS2, Belfast

Thies Mynther, Musiker und Komponist, Hamburg

Not in our Name, Marke Hamburg

Olaf Nicolai, Künstler

Adam Page, Gastprofessor, Bauhaus Universität Weimar, MFA Public Art

Robert Paschmann, Dokumentarfilmautor, Dozent, Hamburg

Stefan Pertschi, Zeichner, Maler, Hamburg

Jürgen Pitzschel, TeeSommelier, Hamburg

Chris von Rautenkranz, SOUNDGARDEN Tonstudio GmbH, Hamburg

Oliver Ressler, Künstler, Wien

Mense Reents, Musiker, Hamburg

Derek Richards, Piece Of Cake, Hamburg

Simone Scardovelli, Fotografin, Hamburg

Christoph Schäfer, Künstler, Hamburg

Richard v.d. Schulenburg, Musiker, Hamburg

Dr. Nina Schuster, Stadtsoziologin, TU Dortmund

Anke Schwarz, Research assistant, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig

Jakobus Siebels, Künstler, Musiker, Hamburg

Andreas Siekmann, Künstler, Kurator, Berlin

Nicolas Siepen, Künstler, Filmemacher, Theoretiker, Professor für bildende Kunst Universität Tromsø, Norwegen, Berlin

Prof. Nika Spalinger, Künstlerin, Dozentin an der Hochschule Luzern, Design & Kunst

Dr. Felix Stalder, Dozent für Digitale Kultur, Zürcher Hochschule der Künste

Jörg Stange, Christoph Richter (Vorst.) Fachgruppe Bildende Kunst Hamburg Ver.di u. Beirat im Bundesvorstand Berlin FGBK (Ver.di) F8 Kunst + Medien

Jan Philipp Stange, Student, Hamburg

Julia Staron, Kunsthistorikerin u. Künstlerin, Hamburg

Gisela Stelly-Augstein, Autorin, Filmemacherin, Hamburg

St. Pauli-Archiv e.V., Hamburg

Jan Soeken, Kunstlehrer, Hamburg

Benjamin Sohrt, Unternehmensberater für Künstler und Kulturschaffende, Hamburg

Christian Striboll, Filmemacher, Hamburg/ Berlin

Apolonija Sustersic, artist / architect, PhD student at Lund University, Sweden

Theresa Thiele Dipl.Ing. Architektur Hamburg/Gängeviertel

Sandra Trostel, Filmemacherin

Cathrin Ulikowski, Künstlerin, Hamburg

Alexej Ulbricht, PhD Candidate, School of Oriental and African Studies, London

Lena Ullrich, Freie Journalistin, Hamburg

Marion Walter, Bildhauerin, Hamburg / Gängeviertel

Margaux Weiss, Studentin, Hamburg

Jan Wenzel,  Autor, Künstler und Verleger (Spector Books), Leipzig

Helena Wittmann, Künstlerin, Filmemacherin, Hamburg

Kathrin Wolf, Künstlerin, Hamburg

Florian Zeyfang, Künstler, Berlin, Professer Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, Umeå / Schweden

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