An artwork at the Liverpool Biennial commemorating dead migrants will remain on view after being vandalized.
The remnants of the vandalized Liverpool Biennial installation The List (2018)—a project by the nonprofit UNITED for Intercultural Action and Turkish artist Banu Cennetoğlu commemorating the 34,361 migrants who have died trying to reach Europe since 1993—will remain in its current, damaged state, the artist decided.
In a statement released by the Liverpool Biennial, Cennetoğlu explained that the tattered version of The List will remain as “a manifestation and reminder of this systematic violence exercised against people.”
Due to repeated damage and removal since The List was installed, Banu Cennetoğlu and Liverpool Biennial have decided to leave it in its current state as a manifestation and reminder of systematic violence exercised against people.
— Liverpool Biennial (@Biennial) August 16, 2018
Read full statement: https://t.co/z9kc8TDeEr pic.twitter.com/wf6fzXH68S
Late last month, the work disappeared from the Great George Street construction fence where it had been installed. Since being reinstalled earlier this month it has been torn and tagged, This marks the first time in the 11 years that Cennetoğlu has been displaying the list (which is updated annually by UNITED for Intercultural Action) that it has been attacked.
“We are saddened by this mindless act of vandalism. We have fully supported Liverpool Biennial for the past 20 years and stand shoulder to shoulder with them in expressing surprise and disgust at such a rare occurrence in the city,” a spokesperson for the Liverpool City Council said.“We will be working with them to try and turn this action into a positive and shine a light on how we need to do more to promote a tolerant and compassionate society.”
