There is no end to the controversy over Marina Abramović's exhibition in Florence. Accusations at Palazzo Strozzi over workers' conditions

Last week, the newspaper Linkiesta had denounced the situation of thirty-five artists (actually thirty-four) who will work on the major retrospective at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence dedicated to Marina Abramović(The cleaner, from September 21, 2018 to January 20, 2019): in particular, the artists, who are working to recreate the Serbian artist’s historic performances at Palazzo Strozzi, have told of receiving paltry wages, below the minimum rates of the national contract for the performing arts, with no expense reimbursements, per diem, or allowances provided. All with unclear contracts. The artists then attempted to open a dialogue with the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, but the outcomes, according to the performers, were not satisfactory: “the opportunity to receive as a heritage the experience of Marina Abramović,” they said, “is immeasurable, that’s why we asked for even the minimum pay. But we are all professionals, this is our work and should be respected. Certainly not the climate we would have expected for such an experience, given the international scope of the project and the involvement of a foundation that claims as its mission to spread art and culture. Apparently at the expense of those who make it.”

The director of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Arturo Galansino, said he was sorry for what had happened, and assured that appropriate work rhythms would be respected and informed that the foundation had fulfilled its commitments to the artists and proposed congruous salaries. This, however, was not enough for the Cgil Communication Workers Union, which sent a harsh letter to Galansino, which states that the Slc considers modalities and rules submitted to the workers “considers in violation of the law and contractual norms, for the recruitment modalities, for the labor contract applied and for the releases asked of the actors.” Still, Emanuela Bizi, national secretary of Slc CGIL, says that “professionals who will participate in the show are obliged to sign, in addition to the labor contract, a release stating their willingness to participate in an unpaid workshop, to produce unusual medical certifications that should, according to the organizers, relieve the foundation of any responsibility regarding work-related injuries and/or physical accidents, and the prospect of hiring by applying the tertiary contract instead of the industry contract, which was signed in April and provides all the appropriate and especially legal solutions for the contracting of the professionals needed for the show.” The union therefore warns the foundation “from requiring workers to sign the stipulated release that basically obliges the professional to ask to work for free (workshops); produce a medical certification on his physical and mental fitness and his ability to sustain the expected efforts relieving the employer of responsibility for any psycho-physical harm (violation of health and safety regulations); surrendering their images for free; and giving an availability to respond to the call without the contract providing for the corresponding indemnity.”

The Palazzo Strozzi Foundation said it takes Slc CGIL’s letter seriously, but also reiterated that it has nothing more to add and confirms its position: according to the director, all procedures are in order. Today, the most recent chapter is an appeal that Slc Cgil made to Marina Abramović and Palazzo Strozzi, the text of which reads as follows: “He who stays alive does not win; what is at stake is something else. It is not the credibility of an artist, a museum or a representative subject. What is at stake is human dignity, the value of art and work. That a group of artists decide to take responsibility for their physical health on stage and not be adequately paid does not absolve the Strozzi Foundation, the artist Marina Abramovic or the Syndicate of their responsibilities. Affirming dignity in work and art means not asking anyone, in order to have a great opportunity, to mortify their professionalism and risk injury. It is too easy to ask workers to be solely responsible for what happens to them, whether they go to work in a factory or in a performance. CGIL is not against Marina Abramovic; on the contrary, it supports all artistic expressions because it is convinced that art has the great power to restore value to life, a powerful antidote against barbarism. Those who love art and are privileged to work in institutions that promote it have a duty to recognize the value and dignity of working artists. We do not have a gun with a missing bullet in our hands, we are all responsible, we the union, the artist Marina Abramovic and the Strozzi Foundation for what happens to the workers engaged in the creation of the long-awaited performance The Cleaner. All of us together make sure that this is truly a great event because it enshrines, through art and respect for rights, human dignity.”

Pictured: Marina Abramović

There is no end to the controversy over Marina Abramović's exhibition in Florence. Accusations at Palazzo Strozzi over workers' conditions

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