No Room for Discussion?

Tuesday, May 13th - Sunday, September 14th | Museum Dorotheergasse, Dorotheergasse 11, A-1010 Wien

The massacre on October 7, 2023 in Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza have created palpable repercussions worldwide – politically, socially, and personally. The outrage and pain felt on many fronts and the pressure to “pick a side” have caused seemingly insurmountable rifts among friends, families, and communities, which leaves little room for differentiation. Slogans, statements, and speeches inciting violence and aggression toward particular groups of people are not conducive to a peaceful resolution to this conflict, and perpetuate many forms of hatred: antisemitism, racism, and Islamophobia. One particular incident in April 2024 that made global headlines was the preventive covering of the Holocaust monument in Hyde Park in London during a Palestinian solidarity demonstration. The media coverage and political reactions to this decision not only illustrate the impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict beyond the Middle East, but also how incendiary views have rendered open discussion practically impossible.
 
The decision to cover up a public Holocaust memorial poses many questions: Is the expectation that pro-Palestinian demonstrators would vandalize a Holocaust memorial justified or is it a prejudice? What does the memorial stand for? For Israel? For our commemoration culture or our consensus of “never again” and with that our liberal democracy? Then what does this all mean when the memorial is covered?  This Project Space intervention invites everyone to participate in a curated dialogue exploring these questions. The collected responses span a breadth of perspectives and opinions. This project encourages museum visitors to take their time to carefully consider the various answers in an effort to reflect and understand before discussing this topic with one another.

 
Curators: Caitlin Gura, Hannes Sulzenbacher
Design: solo ohne – Studio für Gestaltung