It’s not what you do;
it’s how you do it. It’s not what you say but how you say it – Black Uhuru (Utterance)
I just learnt of a new clandestine art outfit in town. Its agenda is unknown. So is its founder(s), member(s). Or whether it’s
a one man show. A lone ranger. It
seems to be operating as an anonymous outfit. And looks like the person behind it
really likes Julian Assange. Or
Edward Snowden. Vokal Vokal thinks
they’re a whistleblower. Maybe they are!
Someone just accused an institution of what they refer to as
a “myriad of wrongdoings.” Long list.
Not sure of authenticity of the accusations but some are quite non-factual and
common knowledge in the general scene. Some though, are stuff straight outta the Cosa
Nostra.
These allegations are serious! On a normal day, I’d take
them very seriously. The only problem I have is the channel the author uses.
Someone seems to have had an almost
credible source of information but driven by bile lost the plot. My two
cents forensics points to someone subjective driven by malice. Anger maybe. But
I could be wrong.
I don’t know who VOKAL
VOKAL is and care less about his tirade but can offer him/her/them some unsolicited
advice.
You see, the local art industry has very strange loyalties. Where a person’s
identity – name, face and work almost
supersedes what has to be said (most of the time). It is earned over years of relationships
that sometimes span whole careers. In a space where there are only a handful institutions, cultural managers have to shuttle within these same institutions to advance
their practice. Circumstances have forced us to accommodate each other. We’ve been here
before. We’ve loathed each other. Disrespected one another. Taken the competition for granted. But you become
mellow when you get up everyday and realize the only people stuck in the game
with you are the ones you disrespect. And the ones to complete your transaction
are the ones you dislike. It’s made us realize that sometimes the only person
that can offer the service you require, is the one you were bad mouthing during
the previous night’s drinking session. We have learnt to be professional enough
to see beyond personal sexual preferences and political alignment - to act
professional and keep our end of the bargain. And if someone errs, you tell
them to their face. Over a beer they’re paying for.
We can’t have two sets of rules – where you act juvenile and
hide behind cheap pseudonyms yet you accuse others of being unprofessional. We,
or rather I can’t allow you to sit at your ivory tower criticizing other peoples
efforts while hiding behind false identities to evade questions and scrutiny. I’m not the accused person’s lawyer but I’m
quite disappointment that in this day and age we still have grown folk who want
to be taken seriously yet their modus operandi is akin to terrorism. If you
stand by your allegations, please do it above board - with your name as we all
know it and through your official email that you use when seeking the services
of those you accuse. Then maybe, I will take you seriously. Why punch in the
dark? What are you afraid of? Victimisation? That’s exactly what you’ve done to
those you’ve referenced! It’s all or nothing I suppose. You can’t have your cake
and eat it. And expect us to let you enjoy the pie too. In an era where the
local scene is advocating for intellect filled discourse and
objective/organized criticism, you have chosen guerilla warfare. Terrorism. There’s no difference
between you and those bad folk. You may have had genuine grievances but you
spoil it by hiding behind a fake I.D which turns you into a mudslinger. A whinger. A cry baby dragging the rest
of us to his/her fights.
You seem to know this outfit really well and maybe have/had
relations with them, why didn’t you write when all was rosy? You’re also quite
informed and try to write well (by my
standards) - I wish it’d be for the good of the arts but you’ve lowered yourself
to the class of the social media bigots and faceless bloggers who hide their
identity because they don’t believe in their cause.
How is the accused supposed to respond to your allegations?
Maybe they’re not supposed to because your accusations are subjective. Good
manners dictate that if you’ve got beef
with someone, you tell them. Maybe that’s why I’m upset. Your text lacks basic
etiquette. You made your accusations while hiding, and then? You’re probably
happy when everyone suspects the other. And when folks forward each other your
text. We’ll spend time trying to figure out who you are, then that’s it. Maybe
that’s all you want. But when the sun
goes down, it’s back to loyalties – Right now there’s an artist dropping off
their work at a gallery. There’s a curator driving into an artist’s studio. And
there’s a dealer running to the bank to cash a client’s cheque. Why? Because
almost all the time, it’s about the artist’s work and involved parties
contractual obligations. Keep your end of bargain, I keep mine. Not what I do
outside that. Not who I’m in a relationship with. Not if am a deadbeat parent. Not
even my choice poison will come into play.
You seem to know the scene well so you
should know that we don’t (necessarily) work with people we like but with those
whose abilities to further our cause (whatever
that means). I don’t have to like my dealer. I complain about high
commissions. And I wish I could bypass VAT and I’m sure they know because we’ve
had this conversation. I won’t be shocked if they don’t like me either but
we’ve learnt to enjoy our relations and respect decisions agreed mutually. Yes
we have unscrupulous dealers. Not because of their race or political leanings but because they’re
just ill mannered. And we shun them. You don’t send anonymous emails. I treat every
(business) partnership like a romantic liaison. If you’re not getting what you
signed up for, you don’t blog about it; you
handle your biz. Ama?
Finally, if you were candid enough with who you are and
offered us another option, there’d be a queue at yours right now but
artists have mouths to feed, schools fees to deal with, mortgages to service
etc and like other citizens with a lot to deal with, your text goes beyond the
arts. It is very Kenyan in context. It feels quite sensational – like the Anglo leasing. Or Goldenberg.
Where sometimes there seems to be no substance beyond the sensation – unprofessional conduct, financial impropriety, tax evasion, fraud, intimidation, racism/nepotism, conflict of interest… You even pull
a George W. Bush card (when he invaded eye-rack) - the “Coalition of willing versus the
axis of evil” where you expect us to take sides. Honestly, how do you side
with a faceless person in this? I’d have believed you and your intentions but I
come from a place where the only invisible person/being you side with is God.
Sorry I’m not on your side in this.
I’m good and ready to join hands in fighting
good fights – artist enlightenment, artist empowerment, artist education,
artists’ rights … not personal vendettas. Sorry.
On a lighter note, it seems I shall never show in the said
outfit since they “suspiciously feature
only artists married to foreign wives & husbands.”
