A much-debated poem painted on the wall of a Berlin college will be removed and replaced by another work. Germany's commissioner for culture and media has condemned the decision, saying it undermines the freedom of art.
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The Alice Salomon Hochschule, a college in Berlin, has decided to remove a controversial poem from its facade, a decision that has been highly criticized by the German commissioner for culture and media.
"Art and culture need freedom; they need discourse. That's one of the most important lessons of history," Culture Minister Monika Grütters said late Wednesday. Undermining this fundamental right in the name of alleged political correctness is a "dangerous game," she added, criticizing the college's decision to paint over the poem as a "frightening act of cultural barbarism."
Gomringer has supported the debate surrounding his poemImage: Imago/VIADATA
Controversial admirer
The poem, titled "avenidas," translates as: "Avenues / Avenues and flowers / Flowers / Flowers and women / Avenues / Avenues and women / Avenues and flowers and women and an admirer."
It was written by Bolivian-Swiss poet Eugen Gomringer in 1951. Gomringer, now 92, is regarded as the founder of concrete poetry, in which graphic space and typographical effects are key. "avenidas" is one of his key works.
The Alice Salomon Hochschule had awarded him the Alice Salomon Poetry Prize in 2011, and the poem was painted in large lettering on the south facade of the college that same year.
In 2016, students complained in an open letter about the fact that the "poem not only reproduces a classic patriarchal art tradition in which women are exclusively the beautiful muses that inspire masculine artists to creative acts, it is also reminiscent of sexual harassment, which women are exposed to every day."
An open letter signed by over 100 celebrities, among them Catherine Deneuve, in the newspaper Le Monde has caused an uproar in France, where stars are divided about the role of the #MeToo and #BalancetonPorc actions.
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Catherine Deneuve
Among the signatories of the open letter was Oscar-nominated French star Catherine Deneuve. Already known for her controversial stance toward harassment, Deneuve has said she finds the #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc social media actions "excessive." That's after she expressed her support for director Roman Polanski, who is still wanted in the US for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
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Catherine Millet
Modern art expert and editor-in-chief of the magazine Art Press, Catherine Millet was also among the signatories who wrote, "Rape is a crime, but trying to seduce someone, even persistently or cack-handedly, is not — nor is men being gentlemanly a macho attack." Millet is perhaps best known for her book, "The Sexual Life of Catherine M.," a memoir tracing her 30 years in France's swinger scene.
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Ingrid Caven
German-born Chanson singer, Ingrid Caven, added her name to the open letter, which claims that the protest's legitimacy has turned into a "witch-hunt." "Instead of helping women, this frenzy (...) actually helps the enemies of sexual liberty — religious extremists and the worst sort of reactionaries. As women, we do not recognize ourselves in this feminism."
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Brigitte Lahaie
A radio talk show host who got her start in the porn industry in 1976, just a year after it was legalized, Brigitte Lahaie signed the letter, which speaks of a "purifying wave" that knows no limit. "(T)he human being is not monolithic: a woman can in the same day lead a professional team and enjoy being the sexual object of a man without being a 'slut' nor a vile accomplice of the patriarchy."
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#BalanceTonPorc
France's version of #MeToo is #BalanceTonPorc, or "call out your pig." Created by NY-based French journalist Sandra Muller, it essentially invites people to name names — and that involves legal risks. Muller herself was asked by lawyers to delete a tweet in which she named a French executive who had said offensive remarks.
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Ségolène Royal
Prominent feminists quickly responded to the letter signed by Deneuve, saying that it blurred the line between seduction and harassment and in doing so, harmed the "millions of women who suffer from this abuse." Former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal took to Twitter to express her dismay, saying, "It's too bad that our great Catherine Deneuve has signed on to this disconcerting text."
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Emma De Caunes
Among the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate behavior is French actress Emma De Caunes. De Caunes said she had met Weinstein for lunch at a Paris Hotel in 2010. She was invited to his hotel room to discuss a project but after he walked out of his bathroom naked with an erection, Caunes fled. "It was like a hunter with a wild animal," she said. "The fear turns him on."
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Florence Darel
In October, actress Florence Darel also came out as having been sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, telling People magazine that Weinstein pursued her in the mid '90s and then propositioned her in a hotel room while his then-wife, Eve Chilton, was in the room next door. Darcel, who starred in "The Stolen Children" and "Uranus" has also accused other French producers, including Jacques Dorfmann.
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Isabelle Adjani
In October, shortly after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein went public, French actress Isabelle Adjani published an op-ed in the weekly JDD newspaper saying, "(T)his is not a game … When an actress dresses up in a seductive way to get a role, it's not to get raped!" She went on to say that in France, "things are more sneaky" than in the US — but "seduction" cannot be an excuse for assault.
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A compromise
Reacting to the heated debated following the complaints, the college's Academic Senate has decided to replace the poem with one written by Barbara Köhler, the recipient of the Alice Salomon Poetry Prize in 2017. The mural will be renewed every five years.
Gomringer's "avenidas" will not completely disappear, either. A compromise has been reached in consultation with the poet. The college has decided to create a panel featuring his poem in Spanish, German and English that will be installed underneath Köhler's work on the building's facade, allowing the debate surrounding the poem to be remembered and pursued.
In an interview in September, Gomringer supported the debate around his work, telling the Süddeutsche Zeitung "it was always my goal to achieve such an effect with such few words."
The college's Academic Senate views this decision as a "clear commitment to art," said Alice Salomon Hochschule director Uwe Bettig.
