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Faced with
being in an exhibition partly funded by british american tobacco,
tyszko, rather than pulling out, and with the full support
of the exhibition organizers, decided to intervene by placing
an honest account of this experience in advert form between
the loops of his video work.
As
a result BAT pulled out of the show.
The
text of the advert.
The international tobacco company, british american tobacco, is
a part sponsor of this art exhibition.
They will presumably hope that as a result of their sponsorship
at least one new person will smoke a cigarette.
This person, through the powerful addictive qualities of the nicotine
preparation manufactured by british american tobacco will effectively
loose their free will and ability to cease smoking,
so becoming a useful statistic - their shortened lifetime benefiting
british american tobacco profits.
In this way, through its campaigning association with the art world,
british american tobacco hope, regardless of the human cost, to
remain profitable.
simon tyszko, finds himself in the dilemma of being in a show partly
funded by a tobacco company;
a strange and disagreeable fact to which he wishes to draw the
viewer’s attention. |
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ASH
news release:
Immediate release 19 September 2003
London artist’s protest forces BAT to withdraw sponsorship
A London artist has single-handedly forced giant tobacco company
BAT to withdraw from an art exhibition.
Despite new restrictions on tobacco sponsorship of sports and
cultural events, BAT had attempted to sponsor a London arts exhibition.
Ironically, the exhibition is entitled ‘We love to kill
what we love’.
The involvement of BAT in the art show raised the ire of one
of the artists displaying his work.
Simon Tyszko, appalled at the covert involvement
of the tobacco company, interspersed his video installation with
anti tobacco messages, revealing to the viewer BAT’s involvement.
As a result of Tyszko’s protest on the opening night, BAT
has now, seemingly, withdrawn its support.
The exhibition runs until 12 October 2003 at the old warehouse
on 211 St John’s Street, Clerkenwell, London. (Well Bar
opposite venue).
Artist Simon Tyszko said:
It’s disgusting that BAT tried to use this exhibition as
a front to peddle its deadly products. They even tried to place
their cigarette dispensers at the no-smoking venue! A company
that is responsible for so many deaths should have no place in
the art world. They might have withdrawn their support from this
exhibition, but how many other times are they getting away with
murder?”
Naj Dehlavi of the anti-tobacco campaigning group ASH, said:
Faced with an advertising ban, the tobacco industry will do anything
to get past the law. Art shows like these, with young, ground-breaking
and trend-setting artists, are precisely the sort of places the
tobacco companies wish to associated with. Their
underhand action underlines the sad fact the tobacco companies
have no regard for the law.
So much for their beloved social corporate responsibility. |
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