Part 2- The Darkness Night… A Self-Narrative Research Report by Jacob Ho
Multilateralism builds the multiple but unequal shares on this hierarchical- relations. Because people have never touched their balance and the hold bargaining chips in the service or financial industry to the ruling class. True liberalism and freedom have sneak out by the international, free and automatically financial system. This is globalisation which causes the rise of division in different regions and more unfairness for people. The multiple-relation can not remain in balance to make each nation better. For a long time, world trading has flourished but it has been unfair for people who need it most. It seems likely that the world which emerges from neoliberalism will be a place of significantly different temper from this planet. Nobody can be certain to promise the consequence of globalisation as confidently as it applied in the world.
Ironically, the so-called diversity/ multiculturalism were what people had praised after the Cold war. After capitalism has its victory, people had a moment to think about unthinkable questions to ask: how to get rid of this institutional and industrial world to reach a world with more creativity and freedom. It seems likely that people did forget the lesson of alienation as well as they wanted to create more beautiful lives. It was a bottom-up change to visible those diverse and creative values. Under such circumstances, people tend to be young and creative people who led the revolution of love and peace rather than a group of people who spent leisure time watching TV in boring cubes.
The world was happy again altogether and the economy coordinated. In the 80 to 90s the US and UK started to think about the economic model or agreement which can apply in the globe thanks to the development of remote technology. Many economic agreements have collapsed such as the Bretton Woods System or example of the Oil Crisis. If there is a global market which collects all international investors and properties, it can maximize incredible profits. The global market was built and neoliberalism was provided in the condition of ending the cold war.
The US becomes hegemon to share not only the new economic system but its related ideology. The global engagement was believed to be a positive activity because it brings more cultural exchange and opportunities of making money. Despite it not being so bad, the rise of globalisation still encountered many failures in the end of the 20th century . Many people do not support this global opening market because it certainly will make an unfair distribution such as M-shape society. The conflict between the ruling class and labour class will rise every day (1% richest and 99%) and people will never win as a result. The people who have suffered from this problem do not complain about this class problem recently because the unfair problem has led to ethical division and the rise of new far right groups everywhere. Far right politicians and their parties can survive in the world for its own reason and background. They are demagogues who use their charisma to lead those who feel unfair in numbers of uncertainties which is caused by globalisation that has led by those liberal elites.
By the view from the art world, there seems no positive comment towards this uncertainty as well. Since the 80s to 90s, the Third World has placed great emphasis on their influence to tell their stories, focusing on the discourse of post- colonialism. They have stood back on to the west world and written their culture by themselves. In the structure of globalisation, they speak out from their marginalized situation through art and exhibitions, biennales in particular. However, in the ‘Western World’, the financial grammar is fulfilled in the art world after the Financial crisis because of this global market. Art market actually was the first market to return ‘normal’ because art was safer and more stable than other financial products. Under such circumstances, the galleries, institutions and cultural sectors rely more on those liberal elites to dominate the art market. Artwork seems to become a complex of artistic- radical- van-grade- justice products but no fine art anymore. It can make money and make money morally good and correct. Therefore, museums should not look like authorised buildings but it should be more ‘public, participatory and social’ to reshape the society and focus on its ‘social turn’ . But at the same time, the public program in these places are quite paradoxical. Because art institutions are exactly at the centre of this global problem, aren’t they? Especially those leading and historical museums such as Tate Modern or MOMA museums.
The paradoxical and spectacle scene has taken place in these global biennales as well as global art institutions. Biennale is always centred around the issue of anti-globalisation, capitalism, and discussion around the minorities, justice and diversity. But if there is no globalisation and world trade biennale will not have a platform to raise this question. In many third world countries, the biennale is a part of MICE industry (Meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) to introduce cities and cultures. How many exhibitions, reflexive theories and cultural production which made in this global art world has been a meaningful monument to respond to this moment. How have we done and how to find a way to ‘leave’ or reside with this weird global scenario is the question I have thought in time of lockdown and pandemic. It is a journey for us to learn uncertainties. We don’t know what future holds but this is where we live in this paradoxical situation.
