Prague - An exhibition by Polish artist known as Peter Fuss was vandalised last week only a few minutes after it was opened. Fuss' pictures inspired by Steven Spielberg's The Schindler's List and Roman Polanski's The Pianist showed Nazi soldiers wearing stars of David on their sleeves.
Head of Prague Jewish community František Banyai told Lidové noviny daily that "he sees Fuss' photos as a clear provocation", since the exhibition opened on the Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom Hashoah. But the artist holds a different view.
"Those people [Prague Jewish community] have proved that they are Jews who not only use Nazi methods in the Gaza Strip but also here, in a free European country," Peter Fuss told Aktuálně.cz.
Fuss talked to Aktuálně.cz about the freedom of expression in art, the Jewish community in Prague, his personal relation to Judaism and much more.
Aktuálně.cz: You must have been fully aware of the timing of opening of your exhibition at Yom Hashoah as well as the ownership of the building where the NoD Gallery is situated - it belongs to the Jewish Community of Prague.
Peter Fuss: The day of the opening was the only available day in the gallery. It is a coincidence that it was the Holocaust Memorial Day - Yom Hashoah. Anyhow because of this day I dropped the idea of having a part of the project in the public space of the town, just because I wanted to avoid exposing people to incidental contact with my works.
I decided to limit the project and display it only in the gallery. A gallery is a closed space. It is a place for exchange of thoughts, ideas, and different points of view. People do not come to a gallery by incident. And what is more, this gallery presents engaged art, teaching political and social problems.
I got the information about the owner of the building on the spot in Prague. People live in rented flats, work in rented offices, go to cafés whose owners belong to different nations and that is not the reason why they should change their views and be frightened to freely express their own thoughts.
What are your feelings about the fierce and aggressive reaction of representatives of the Jewish Community of Prague?
To be honest, it is very sad. This is the darkest point of my exhibition. Those people have proved with their behavior that they are Jews who not only use Nazi methods in the Gaza Strip but also here, in a free European country.
The Nazis used to divide art into the one they accept and the other they considered degenerated and that had no right to exist. The people from Prague Jewish community did exactly the same. And they did it in a way that would make the German Nazi parties proud.
Is there any specific reason for launching your project in Prague?
I was invited by the NoD gallery curator who belongs to the Guma Guar artistic group, which I value a lot. But I could as well show this project in Warsaw, New York or Berlin.
What is your personal relation to Judaism?
I am Polish. And it was the Polish land where the Israeli nation tragedy took place, tragedy provoked by Nazi. But it was also the Polish people who contributed to the Israeli nation suffering.
The 1960's Polish government made people immigrate. Being aware of that makes me vulnerable to all manifestations of nationalism, racism, racial segregation.
The anti-Semite atmosphere is not entirely gone in Poland and as a consequence there is only a handful of Jewish people living there. I have devoted one of my former projects to elaborate further on that issue. It was very controversial at that time.
What is your status in Poland? Do you violate the law?
I am not escaping taboo topics in my works. Not everybody likes that and it provokes extreme reactions. In the past I was chased by a prosecutor and police because of my artistic activity.
Have you noted any reactions from other countries about the vandalisation of your Prague exhibition?
People from all over the world are writing emails to me. They are of different content. But definitely most of them disapproved that the exhibition was closed.
After your exhibition the NoD Gallery may get closed. What do you say to that?
This is a free country, having a reputation of being one of the most liberal and tolerant of diverse opinions out of all ex-communist bloc countries. Now it turned around. The boundaries of our freedom are set by influential people from the Jewish community. I hope that Czech will stand up for their freedom and will protest against the possibility of closing the NoD Gallery.
What do you say to the fact that the Linhart Foundation, which rents premises to the NoD Gallery, apologized to the Jewish Community of Prague for exhibiting your project, saying it was "an excess that will never happen again"?
Regarding the Linthart Foundation statement, I have to say that I have seen multiple situations when people did very strange and "inglorious" things in order to save their status quo. This is up to them whether they will be able to look at themselves in the mirror later on.
You did not go to the opening of the exhibition. Why? Almost nobody knows you in the Czech Republic...
It is my rule not to attend my exhibitions. No matter in which country or whether someone knows me or not. I do not create art in order to gain splendor.
Why did you choose pseudonym Peter Fuss?
Doing illegal projects in a public space I cannot sign them with my real name. That is why I started using pseudonym Peter Fuss.
Is the act of vandalisation of your project the largest conflict in your career?
By all means it is the most aggressive, the least civilized reaction that I have ever encountered. There have been verbal attacks on me, there have been authorities interventions, closures of my exhibitions and censorship of my works. But it is the first time I have experienced such aggression and violence.
What is your view of the unlimited freedom of expression in art? Is there any line you would never cross?
Artists are made for going beyond the boundaries. It is the crossing of these boundaries that makes things move and develop. It is also up to the artist to decide where those boundaries are. No curators, critics, neither aggressive representatives of the Jewish community can tell them that.
Did it cross your mind that your project might be convenient for the neo-Nazis and Anti-Semites?
I am not responsible for these nuts who cannot interpret what they see in a proper way.
How will you deal with the damage of your project?
Part of my art work was destroyed; another part was confiscated by the representatives of the Jewish community. For me it is obvious that the gallery will, on the good will basis, demand the return of my works. If not on the good will bases, than I hope they will do it by using proper means and authorities. I hope that the Linhart Foundation had also sent an official request to return my works and compensate for the material damage.
Your projects try to address controversial topics. Wouldn't it be more accurate to create something what might appeal to the majority of Czech "beer drinkers"?
I touch on topics that are important to me. I do not sit and think of which national features to expose, depending on the country I am going to have an exhibition in.
