Protesters Urge Guggenheim to Aid Abu Dhabi Workers

Protesters critical of the Guggenheim Museum’s planned franchise in Abu Dhabi smuggled artworks into the museum on Saturday evening, placing them in an exhibit of Italian Futurism.
The art created by the group, Global Ultra Luxury Faction, known as G.U.L.F., bore a stylistic resemblance to the museum’s work but also listed names of some of the institution’s board of trustees.
As about 40 protesters spread through the multilevel museum, a voice boomed across the open rotunda: “No justice, no art.”
The intervention staged by G.U.L.F., which lasted about 15 minutes, was part of a growing protest of labor conditions on Saadiyat Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim will soon be built there, alongside an under-construction branch of the Louvre museum and a recently completed campus of New York University. The group called on museum officials to ensure that workers there are treated fairly.
Some museum visitors seemed bewildered to encounter a protest inside one of New York City’s leading cultural institutions, but security guards were less surprised; the protest on Saturday was the third since February to take place inside the museum. Guards quickly ejected protesters and ripped down the unsanctioned art.
Museum protests are the latest tactic employed by groups critical of the Guggenheim’s project: The highly visible spectacles are meant to draw attention to a campaign that has been waged more quietly for years.
Much of the work on Saadiyat Island, a luxury enclave being developed by the Emirates government, is done by foreign migrants, who are required to pay large recruitment and transit fees, critics say. In addition, the critics add, employers often seize the workers’ passports, house them in substandard conditions and pay them less than expected, all while enforcing demanding work schedules.
A statement from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation said that strengthening labor protections was a museum priority.
“The recent reports that allege continued worker mistreatment at Saadiyat Island are disturbing and should give anyone pause,” the statement said, adding: “The Guggenheim is working closely with our partners in Abu Dhabi at the highest levels to continue to improve workers welfare practices.”
It is unclear, however, how much influence the museum might wield in a project that is being led by the Emirates government.

more: TheNewYorkTimes