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From: kathy
high <kittyhigh@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 15:04:53 -0500
To: "ambika 7" <ambika7@hotmail.com>
Cc: riconico@hotmail.com, plozada@correo.inba.gob.mx, jorgelaferla@hotmail.com,
piporrin@mac.com, carlos@cinematropical.com, cgutierrez@lavitrina.com
Subject: Sadly I write this
Dear Lola Creel,
I am saddened to have to write such a letter as this.
But I am afraid that I am moved to do so by the outrageousness of the
situation around the Festival.
I accepted the invitation to participate in the Festival Vidarte 2002
and to work for the Festival because of the respect I have for my colleagues
Ricardo Nicolayevsky and Priamo Lozado. These individuals are two of
the shining stars of Mexico City with their talent and brilliance. They
both have my utmost admiration because of their past work and their
contributions in the field of video and media arts.
Ricardo Nicolayevsky is an accomplished artist in many many disciplines,
whose work has been exhibited internationally in festivals, galleries
and museums. His work has been nominated for the prestigious Rockefeller
award. He has contributed to the dialogue of avant-garde media making
in significant ways. Ricardo and I have worked on projects in the past
and I look forward to collaborating with him again in the future if
I am fortunate enough to do so.
And Priamo Lozado has created an name for the Laboratorio/Arte Alameda.
He has curated a number of extremely fine video exhibitions which have
received international recognition.
Priamo brings such great care and genius to curating and programming
at the Laboratorio that his reputation is widespread and his work has
been acknowledged in some of the leading international arts journals
by major critics. He, too, is someone with whom I look forward to working
with on future projects.
Both of these individuals have been inspiring to me and my personal
work. They have been instrumental in assisting me to develop the current
issue of FELIX entitled RISK/RIESGO for which I have received major
funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Warhol Foundation,
the U.S./Mexico Fund for Culture/Fideicomiso para la Cultura Mexico/Estados
Unidos, and the Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo.
In other words, I have had personal dealings with both these individuals
enough to understand the integrity and honestly with which they conduct
their work. They are also both very diligent and hard workers, perfectionists
in everything they do.
I would not work with them if they were not such people.
I do not write these kinds of letters lightly. I am dismayed by what
I have read in the papers regarding your discussion of their resignation
and of their reputations. You do not know of which you speak, Lola.
Have you ever been to the Laboratorio, for example, and seen the exhibitions
Priamo has organized? Because I have been to
very many of them, and, being from New York City, one of the art capitals
in the world, I say that the exhibitions he has curated are some of
the finest I have witnessed anywhere. He is almost exclusively dealing
with video and media arts in his curating. He is a leader in the media
arts/video field and one whose work I follow to learn from.
I am not attending the festival Vidarte because of the ways that these
individuals have been disrespected and mistreated.
And I am deeply saddened to see that you cannot listen to the very media
arts community you are supposedly supporting. A group of artists and
critics met to discuss the needs of THEIR community. Why can't you hear
their requests?
Please do not continue your misrepresentation of Priamo or Ricardo or
any of the others who were working with them. I must remind you that
the programs that make up a large part of the festival including those
curated by Marina Grzinic, Rudolf Frieling, Experimenta, Sarai, ArsElectronica,
Africa, were not organized by you, but by Priamo Lozado. Please do not
forget that fact! And also as an oficial member of the selection committee
I know that there were not 900 selections made for the festival. This
is a huge exaggeration of fact!
Finally, I officially withdraw my offer to donate my fee from the selection
committee for an award for the Festival, and I wish to have the money
sent to me immediately. I cannot support an activity such as this with
such fabrications and overstatements being displayed everywhere.
Signed with a heavy heart,
Kathy High, artist, curator, educator of media arts
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Kathy High
69 Lakeshore Drive
Averill Park, NY 12018
917-968-2575 cel
518-479-0409 tel.
Check out the FELIX website:
http://www.e-felix.org
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