17 april 2021
Portraits of two Catalan activists and 14 Catalan politicians, some in prison, some in forced exile.
The pos-its under each photo remember the days that each one of them has spend in such dramatic situation. Everyday the post-its are actualized. The lost days in the life of peaceful, pro-democracy, pro-Europe citizens, acumulates on the floor.
On the opposite wall there is a printed official letter from Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“Ministry of Foreign Affairs
To the Riksdag Foreign Minister
Answer to Question 2018/19: 869 by Betty Malmberg (M) The situation in Catalonia
Betty Malmberg has asked me if I intend to act on the grounds that a working group linked to the UN agency OHCHR has presented to the Spanish government that the Catalan regional politicians who are arrested should be released, as they are considered to be imprisoned on arbitrary grounds.
There is currently a legal process in Spain, against the Catalan regional politicians referred to by Betty Malmberg. The trial itself ended in June 2019 and a verdict is expected this fall.
The Government sees no reason to question the ability of the Spanish judicial system to ensure a legal process with full respect for human rights and in accordance with the principles of the rule of law.
Stockholm, August 19, 2019 Margot Wallström
A photo of the Margot Wallström, (former) Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, lays in between the lost days.
Archival pigmented prints on Kapa board, yellow post-its, permanent ink red marker.
Every piece will be finished when each person is liberated from prison or can return safely from the exile.
When this happens, the picture and the last post-it will be framed.
Each individual framed piece will be for sale, with a starting price determined by the time spent in prison/exile. Each day will be priced as 10 SEK.
The money raised by the selling of the artworks will be divided equally and donated to Òmnium Cultural and the Catalan Nacional Assembly.
Òmnium Cultural is a cultural non-governmental organisation, with more than 125,000 members and 57 years of history. Founded at the height of the 40-year Franco dictatorship on 11 July 1961, Òmnium Cultural was launched to combat the censorship and persecution of Catalan culture and to fill the gap left by the political and civil institutions of Catalonia that were forbidden by the dictatorship. His president, Jordi Cuixart, is one of the political prisoners portrait in this installation.
The Catalan National Assembly (ANC) is a grassroots organisation that brings together around 80,000 people from all parts of the Catalan society, including different ideologies, religions and nationalities. They work on a voluntary basis for a common cause: to win Catalan independence in a completely peaceful and democratic way. His president, Jordi Sánchez, is one of the political prisoners portrait in this installation.
More information about the exhibition, click here.
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