MNCARS/ OUTRAGE AGAINST THE SPANISH CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE

Dear friend, the reason I’m writing this letter is to pass on some information which I hope you will take into account and use as you may find convenient.

I suppose you are aware of the Macarrón case; since 1989 the MNCARS (Reina Sofia National Contemporary Art Museum) owes more than 200 million pesetas (roughly 1,200.000€) to this man, a fact that caused his bankruptcy and the dismissal of all his workers and collaborators.

The unfortunate recent disappearance of Serra’s sculpture from one of his storehouses is also related to this case, Macarrón notified the Museum several times to retrieve the pieces from his premises, since if he was not paid all his possessions would be impounded. They have recently tried to accuse him of this loss. This is a calumny.

However, Macarrón is not the only one affected. When in 1990-91 the MNCARS Director was forced to submit his resignation, he did so without returning to sign any of the pending records which resulted in the failure to pay several suppliers and collaborators of the centre. Amongst the affected were Domingo Sarrey and his production company “Entropia”, who were owed approximately 11 million of the old pesetas. The only response those affected received was never to be hired or asked to collaborate with the Museum again and to be ignored from then on.

When MNCARS was created, Sarrey was considered the pioneer of video-art in Europe and had carried out the first video-art exhibition ever to be held in a European Museum, “Urban Labyrinths” in the MEAC (Spanish Contemporary Art Museum). This event encouraged the MNCARS to hire Sarrey’s services not only to design its audiovisual department, tape its exhibitions, and assess on the incipient discipline of video-art, but also to promise him a retrospective of his work (his first video dates from 1968). Apart from the huge debt that so hugely affected Sarrey as well as his company “Entropia” (first ever European video-art company), to avoid his “uncomfortable presence” MNCARS never cited him, gave information on his work, or included him in any of its exhibitions or activities, trying to ignore his artistic history and legacy as a video-artist.


For example, when the exhibition which is currently being held at the MNCARS “Primera Generación: arte e imagen en movimiento (1963-1986)" (“First Generation: art and image in movement (1963-1986”)) was announced, an exhibition whose first version was held in 1985 and in which Sarrey collaborated in the design and set up, we contacted the Museum without receiving a single response from the Director (attached is the letter written). This occurrence is doubly unfortunate as it does not only affect Sarrey as an artist and producer but it commits an outrage against the Cultural and Historical Heritage of all the Spaniards as this exhibition undermines the basic objective of the Museum: to promote the knowledge, access to, and understanding of Modern and Contemporary Art in general, and Spanish art in particular. This it does not to do by lacking in objectivity and historical rigorous precision.

Finally, I would be more than willing to elaborate on any further details on this subject that may be of your interest, and I attach below the letter mailed to the MNCARS and a series of links that may be use:

Video from the Malaga Film Festival 2006: “Sarrey: Europe’s Video Pioneer”:
http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-4508800895230595696&q=sarrey


First video-art generated in Spain:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/cuadrats.htm

First Net-Arts of Europe:

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df .aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome /VIDEOS/VIDEOS/netart.htm

Sarrey’s collaborations with other leading video-artists such as NAN JUNE PAIK, WOLF VOSTELL, LAURIE ANDERSON, ODEMBACH etc.:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/VIDEOS/nacionales.htm

News broadcasts dedicated to Sarrey:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/VIDEOS/tele.htm

Historical videos:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/historicos1.htm

Selection of works:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEO.htm


Curriculum:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/cv.htm


Unanswered letter to MNCARS:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/Carta-Museo.doc

Web:
http://www.sarrey.com

Thank you for your attention, please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information.

Yours sincerely,

Marisa del Valle

"Primera Generacion"

I find it outrageous to discover that a relevant art institution as Reina Sofia Contemporary Art Museum could possibly treat its national artists in this way. Economic issues must never be prioritized over artistic ones, and ignoring talented artists over the decades merely not to confront old debts, not only undermines the Museum's primordial role in supporting and encouraging the country's most innovative art but also demonstrates the inconsistency of National Institutions’ economic agendas. It moreover can thwart the individual work of artists who as a result struggle to survive and are forced to operate in independent networks having been forced out of the official establishment.

Furthermore, not including National video artists, such as Domingo Sarrey who undoubtedly was an essential pioneer in European video art amongst others, in such an important exhibition as "Primera Generacion" a ground-breaking exhibition in Spain again shows the Reina Sofia's failure to promote its National artists and the country's historical role in the area of video art, an area in which Spaniards have outstood notably since the sixties. The Museum has acquired many of the pieces exhibited in this show, with the idea of creating a video-art collection, undoubtedly a very valuable asset to the Musem. Nevertheless none of these are Spanish in origin, and as a student of video-art, I would like to know where if not the Reina Sofia must I go to research Spanish video-art?

I hope others will join this Campaign to denounce outrageous practices like these in the Spanish art world.

Mónica Santos Serrano.

monicairinasantos@gmail.com

Poste in response:

MNCARS/ ATENTADO CONTRA EL PATRIMONIO CULTURAL

Estimada amigo, el motivo de comunicarme contigo es para pasarte una
información que te ruego tomes en cuenta y hagas el uso de ella que creas conveniente:

Estarás, supongo, bien informado del caso Macarrón; desde 1989 el MNCARS
adeuda mas de 200 millones a este señor, hecho que ocasiono su quiebra y
el despido de todos sus trabajadores y colaboradores.
La lamentablemente famosa desaparición de la escultura de Serra de uno de
sus naves de almacén también tiene que ver con este caso, Macarrón aviso
varias veces que retiraran las obras del almacén ya que si no le pagaban
le embargarían todos sus bienes.
Recientemente han intentado acusarle de esta perdida. Esto es una infamia.
Pero Macarrón no es el único afectado, cuando en 1990-91 se forzó la
dimisión del director del MNCARS, este presento su dimisión sin volver por allí a firmar ninguno de los expedientes pendientes este hecho supuso varios
impagos a proveedores y colaboradores del centro, entre los afectados a Sarrey y su productora Entropía les dejaron sin pagar mas de 11 millones de pesetas de entonces. Y como única respuesta no volver a contratar los servicios de los afectados e ignorarlos absolutamente.

Cuando se crea el CARS, Sarrey estaba considerado como pionero del videoarte en Europa y ya había realizado en el MEAC la primera exposición de videoarte llevada acabo en un museo en Europa (Laberintos Urbanos). Hecho que animo al CARS para contratar sus servicios tanto para diseñar el área de
audiovisuales, rodar sus exposiciones y asesorar sobre el incipiente videoarte amen de prometerle una gran retrospectiva de sus trabajos (su primer videoarte lo realizó en 1968).
Pues bien, aparte de la deuda que afecto tanto a Sarrey como a su productora

Entropía (primera productora de video arte de Europa), para evitar su "molesta
presencia" nunca mas el MNCARS le cito, dio información sobre su obra, o
le incluyo en ninguna de sus exposiciones o actividades, tratando de ignorar su historial como video artista y cualquiera de sus obras o actividades.

Como ejemplo: Al enterarme que se convocaba la exposición. "Primera
Generación: arte e imagen en movimiento (1963-1986)" (muestra en la que lógicamente Sarrey estaba presente en su primera convocatoria de 1985 y que colaboró en su diseño y montaje), nos pusimos en contacto sin obtener la mas mínima respuesta de la directora. (Te adjunto la carta).
Este hecho es doblemente lamentable ya que no solo le afecta como artista
y productor sino que atenta contra el Patrimonio Histórico y Cultural de
todos los españoles ya que la muestra que pretenden presentar no cumplirá
el objetivo básico de este Museo, que es promover el conocimiento, acceso
y formación del público al arte moderno y contemporáneo y carece la misma
de objetividad y rigor histórico.
Por ultimo me pongo a tu disposición para ampliar cualquier detalle y te
adjunto la carta remitida al MNCARS y una serie de links que te pueden ser
útiles:

Vídeo Festival Cine Málaga 2006 Sarrey pionero vídeo creación en Europa:
http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-4508800895230595696&q=sarrey

Primer videoarte generado en Europa:

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/cuadrats.htm
Primeros NetArt en Europa:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/VIDEOS/netart.htm

Telediarios sobre Sarrey

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/VIDEOS/tele.htm

Colaboraciones con maestros del videoarte, NAN JUNE PAIK, WOLF VOSTELL, LAURIE ANDERSON, ODEMBACH etc.:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/VIDEOS/nacionales.htm
Vídeos históricos:

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEOS/historicos1.htm
Selección trabajos:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/VIDEO.htm

Currículo:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/cv.htm

Carta no contestada por el MNCARS:
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/sarrey/wwwhome/Carta-Museo.doc

Web:
http://www.sarrey.com


Atentamente,

Marisa del Valle