As protests erupted across Greece last night against the continued austerity measures they’ll need to accept in order to get a bail out to prevent the country from going bankrupt, the German video artist, Hito Steyerl, exhibiting at the German pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, erected a Greek flag on the outside of the building in protest.
Writing in a statement on Facebook, the artist said:
“Today, the artists of the German Pavilion and a number of the workers of the 56th Venice Biennial covered the Germania sign on the pavilion with a Greek flag and the word “Germoney”. We show our solidarity with the people in Greece and all other places suffering from austerity. As cultural workers and artists we demand an end to austerity for health, culture and education while public funding for banks and oligarchs seems unlimited.”
It’s just another protest against Austerity in Europe, two have been staged in the UK since the General Election of May, and during Paris Fashion Week Rick Owens’ muse, Jera, unveiled an anti-Merkel banner during his menswear show. Activists also recently projected a sign reading “Cancel Greek Debt” onto the side of the German embassy in London.