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BARTOMEUMARÍ
I
ExhibitionforPalestine,1978
cannotrememberclearlywhenorwhere
becamearealityintheprogramoftheMuseud’ArtContemporanideBarcelona
PastDisquiet:NarrativesandGhostsfromtheInternationalArt
(MACBA),yetIdorecallitsbeingintroducedtomebyartistWalidRaad.AfterseeingitrealizedinFebruary
2015,IstartedseeingsimilaritiesbetweenthisprojectandsomeoftheworksoftheAtlasGroup.Itfelt
asthoughthedisciplinedtaskofKristineKhouriandRashaSalti,thearthistoriansbehind
PastDisquiet
,was
graduallystartingtogivespacetothecreativityofafictionwriter.Inconfrontingwhatdatawereavailableand
verifiable,thedetectivespirithadtomorphintoacreativemind;thedemonstrationoffact,backedupwith
evidence,wasgivingwaytospeculativeoptionsforinterpretingfacts.
PastDisquiet
alsocameintobeingbecauseofafirmconvictionthatthehistoryofexhibitionswas
becomingakeyelementinthenewhistoriographyofcontemporaryart,andthatbeyondwidelyknown
exhibitionssuchasDocumenta,theVeniceBiennale,andsimilarlarge-scaleevents,thereisanotherhistory
ofart—onethat,evenifithasheretoforebeendiscreetorsimplyunknowntotheleadersofthesystem,also
needstobeconsidered,studied,andrepresented.MACBA’sroleherewaspreciselytobeaneye-opener,
aninstitutionsheddinglightonissues,artists,works,andideasthatwerenotbeingsufficientlyhighlighted
becausetheywereignoredbymainstreaminstitutions.Further,theexhibitionwasrootedintheideathatthe
historyofcontemporaryartcouldnotbewrittensolelybylookingatindividualartworksandobservingtheir
aestheticqualities,butratherbylookingatthewayexhibitionsareconceptualized.The“curatorialmechanics,”
economy,motivations,andoutcomesofexhibitionsarealsosignificantinformationforthehistorian.
Past
Disquiet
wasaboutallthisandmore.
By2015,MACBAwaslivingtheeffectsofthedismantlingofpublicinstitutionsandservicesinSpain.
Theeffectsofthefinancialcrisisof2008,whichinSpainraninparallelwithamajorcrisisinthereal-estate
marketandtheconstructionsector,draggedpublicfinancesintoadisastrousdownwardspiralthat,
tomyknowledge,continuesuntiltoday.Themuseumlostnearlyfortypercentofitspublicfunding,andwas
forcedbyitsboardtolayoffaquarterofitsemployeesandreduceitsactivitytoashamefulminimum.
MyexperienceasdirectorofMACBAwasmarkedbythegenerosityandengagementofthegreatpeoplewho
resilientlycontinuedworkingundersuchconditions,namelythestaff,whoralliedaroundthecertaintythat
wecoulddoless,butthatweshouldnevercompromisetheidealsthatinspiredthemuseum.
Solidarity,helpingthosewhoneedsupport,andgivingvoicetothosewhodonothavethepossibility
ofmakingtheirsheard:thesearenoblepursuits.The
InternationalArtExhibitionforPalestine
andthecollection
ofartworksdonatedbyartistsfromthefourcornersoftheglobewasaresultofgenerosityandinternational
engagement.Theresearchintotheexhibition’shistoryincludedaninvestigationoftheinternationalwebs
ofsolidaritythatwerelinkedwiththepoliticalideologiesofthe1970s,andpointstoaglobalpoliticalmap
ofideologicalpositionsthatissignificantlydifferenttothatoftoday.
In2015,theCatalanpoliticalspacewasalreadyheatedbythepro-independencemovement,whichhad
beeninitiatedin2009.In2011,whentheSpanishandCatalangovernments,aswellasBarcelonaCityCouncil,
changedfromsocialdemocrattoliberalconservative,thetraditionallynationalistpartiesgravitatedtoward
aclearstanceofsupportforCatalanindependence.Tothoseunfamiliarwithit,MACBAisgoverned
byaconsortiumthatbringstogetherthethreelevelsofadministration,aswellasaprivatefoundationthat
providesfundsfortheacquisitionofartworksforthemuseum’scollection.After2011,theBarcelonaCity
CouncilandtheCatalangovernmentwerecontrolledbypro-independencepoliticalpartiesthatpromotedthe
holdingofareferendumtoinviteCatalansocietytoestablishtheroadforwarditdesired.
In1978,bydonatingtheirwork,artistsofdifferentgenerationsfromaroundtheworldexpressedtheir
supportforafuturePalestinianartmuseum.Atthetime,thatmuseumwasinexileinBeirut,butitwashoped
thatonedayitwouldbeinauguratedintheterritoryofPalestine.Mighttherebeaconcurrencebetweenthe
Palestinianmovementforfreedom,asembodiedbythePalestineLiberationOrganization,andtheCatalanpro-
independencemovement?Notonlywastherenoexistingrelationshipbetweenthesetwocontexts,but,
in2005,theCatalanpro-independencepartyingovernmentmaintaineditslong-establishedsympathyforthe
Zionistmovement.GivenBarcelona’slocationatthewesternendoftheMediterraneanSea,alongwhose
easterncoastliePalestine,Lebanon,andIsrael,thecitycouldplayakeyroleinreflectingMiddleEasternart
andcultureinEurope.TheideaofcreatingspaceinEurope,fromBarcelona,forotherwaysofreading
modernity,thecontemporary,andthejust-past,aswellasforimaginingafuturethatembracesanew
geography,andthatincludesNorthAfricaandtheMiddleEastasaneighboringenvironment,hasbeenunder
constructionwithexhibitionsandcommissionsatMACBAsince2013withAhlamShibli’s
Phantom
Home
,followed,in2014,bySigalitLandau’s
PhoenicianSandDance
and
BeforeOurEyes:OtherCartographies
oftheRif
,curatedbyAbdellahKarroumandSoledadGutiérrez.
Thepresentationof
PastDisquiet
atMACBAin2015wasproducedwithaverymodestbudget,andyet
itofferedexamplesofverycreativecuratorialanddisplaydecisionsinagallerywithadifficultarchitectural
configuration.Originaldocuments,digitizedcopies,photographs,publications,graphics,projectedimages,
video,film,andaudiorecordingswereputtoworktonarrateahistorythattookplacemorethanthirty-five
yearspriortotheexhibition.Iamveryhappythatwhatcouldnotbeproducedthenisnowinyourhands:
apublicationabouttheresearchintotheexhibitionanditshistory,aswellasthenarratives,myths,and
shadowscreatedinitswake,especiallyaftertheapparentdestructionoftheartworksoverthecourseofthe
1982invasionofLebanon,duringwhichBeirutwasbesiegedbytheIsraelimilitary.
IwouldliketoexpressmysinceregratitudetoKristineKhouriandRashaSalti,aswellastothemany
whoseworkandcontributions,opinions,andmemoriesmadetheexhibitionpossible.Iwouldalsoliketothank
allthosewhohavesupportedinonewayortheothertheresearchproject,theexhibition,and,especially,this
publication.
BartomeuMaríisthedirectoroftheNationalMuseumofModernandContemporaryArt,Korea.From2007
