REFERENDUM SI NO LÍTICO / REFERENDUM YES NO LITHIC

REFERENDUM SI NO LÍTICO / REFERENDUM YES NO LITHIC

 

 Edgar Moreno, Susana Arwas

BIENALSUR Internacional de Argentina. Buenos Aires, 2017

1998. Para realizar un parque temático por la Paz mundial en Berlín, un artista austríaco sustrae de Venezuela una roca sagrada de 30 toneladas: la “Abuela Kueka”, tótem y patrimonio de 500 indígenas pemones de Mapaurí, La Gran Sabana. Su cultura es oral y protestan, ya que el artista logra por medios escritos, legales y diplomáticos que se le conceda la roca como un regalo del pueblo de Venezuela al pueblo alemán.

2013. Un chamán pemón, hombre de las rocas, va a Berlín a sentir la energía de la Abuela Kueka y en una visita al Museo de Ciencias, el fósil más importante del mundo, Archaeopteryx litográfica, patrimonio de Alemania, le anuncia querer irse con él.

La instalación comprende una sala electoral y situacional con videos, acciones artísticas, entrevistas y afiches electorales. El público votará en línea por un Sí o No, devolver o canjear a Kueka por Archaeopteryx, cuestionando la racionalidad económica tras el robo de bienes patrimoniales, acuerdos implicados y el derecho al valor mítico.

 

Referendum Yes No Lithic

 

1998. In order To create a world peace´s thematic park in Berlin, an Austrian artist bargains from the Venezuelan government a sacred rock of 30 tons called the “Grandmother Kueka”, totem and heritage of 500 Pemon indigenous from the village of Mapaurí, located in La Gran Sabana (the Great Savannahs). Since the artist achieves by written, legal and diplomatic means that the rock is granted to him as a gift from the people of Venezuela to the German people, the indigenous raised a protest since they possess an oral culture and national laws are pointless for them.

 

2013. A Pemon witchdoctor, man of the rocks, goes to Berlin to feel the energy of Grandmother Kueka and during a visit to the Berlin Science Museum, the most important fossil in the world, lithographic Archeopteryx, heritage of Germany, announces him that she wants to go with him to Venezuela since he has the power to communicate with rocks.

 

The installation Si No Lithic, contains an electoral set up room which  includes  videos, artistic actions, interviews and voting placards. The public will vote online for a “yes or no” if return Kueka stone back to Venezuela, or if to exchange Kueka stone for Archeopteryx fossil.

 

The installation questions the economic rationality behind the smuggling of cultural heritage properties, implied agreements and the right for mythical values.