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SonntagsBlick: Art Basel’s MeToo problem?
Anna Jener: It is not unique to Art Basel that the combination of money, power and narcissistic egos creates problematic dynamics. We live in a time when places without toxic abuse of power are worth mentioning. Everything else is standard.
What did you experience in Art Basel?
In 2014, I sat down with a collector and a curator at the Davidoff Lounge and drank copious amounts of champagne. 30 francs per glass but it was free to us. No matter how drunk the gentlemen were, it was probably easy for them to talk about their sexual preferences. It was clear at the time that they enjoyed shocking a shy artist like me. Fisting suddenly became her favorite subject, and I was asked provocatively what I thought of anal sex.
Why didn’t you get up and go?
The dependencies in the art market are huge. Anyone who resists is considered complex. Ambiguities, no matter how treacherous, always leave a verbal gap. If a woman protests, she lacks humor, misunderstood everything, exaggerates excessively, or isn’t young and attractive enough to deserve that much attention anyway. “Are you a model now or what? Don’t be like that,” someone once told me. Galleries are useless because they don’t have the luxury of betraying wealthy collectors.
Have you had any other unpleasant Art Basel experiences?
In 2016 one of my collectors invited me to a special weekend in Basel. A small group of people from Baden-Baden would fly to the trade fair in a private jet. How easy it is to impress me bothers me even today. After all, I was already 38 years old and not 18 anymore. But gallery owners, curators and collectors are a powerful trio that can dramatically change an artist’s life. Consciously avoiding this is a strategically fatal move for your career.
Was something expected in return?
When I asked how the overnight stay was arranged, the gentleman who had invited me looked surprised. I’d stay in the suite of the guy who paid the jet, of course. I kept silent. This was responded to by saying that I would receive 2000 euros for the weekend and that the organizer did not have high sexual expectations. That must be his reputation. Normal sex with attractive company, togetherness and hugs.
And then?
When I angrily said that I was not an escort, I was told that a well-known curator from the Berlin art community had already done this, so please do not act like that. It is well known that in my line of business women are always in financial trouble. I declined the offer.
Have you had professional disadvantages for not wanting to play the game?
Naturally. Resisting hurts the career. If you want to be successful as an artist, you shouldn’t say no. After a certain point I was no longer able to make any professional connections in the Karlsruhe and Stuttgart region. A gallery owner asked me to add a few nudes to my portfolio of work. I didn’t – and then I became persona non grata.
Can you prove the connection?
NO. Of course, it’s easy to blame my incompetence. That’s not the point here. I did my master’s degree in London at the most famous art school in the world. The acting director of my department at the time made it clear that he only wanted pretty and uncomplicated female students with him. I was hardly accepted into his course because as a German he found me too stubborn. And back then, I was a shy little girl in my early 20s.
What does it say about this industry?
There are people who really care about art, but as with any power structure, there are also people whose power brings character changes. For many rich men, escorts are very boring. Taking the challenge of testing and pushing the limits is always an exciting hit.
You now run a historical sex toys museum in Hamburg. What is all this about?
I inherited the oldest pharmacy in St. Pauli from my mother – the building is a property from 1861. Here we were looking for a project suitable for the red-light neighborhood, the area and my art. My business partner Bianca Müllner and I strive for an open, culturally demanding approach to physicality.
What does this mean?
We also talk about sexual violence and how it has been dealt with in human history in guided tours. I close the door to the view that perhaps moral integrity, culture, intelligence, education, and humor can coexist well with a freely lived sexuality. But I don’t want to go through those doors anymore.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
