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Hou Hanru, Paris
INTERVIEW WITH JENS HAANING,
COPENHAGEN
HHP: The current situation on the Danish political scene reveals a profound problem
in the European society: how to deal with the increasingly growing immigrant
community and the transformation of our society towards a multicultural one? As
an artist dealing with the issue, what is your opinion on the situation? and what is
your opinion on the general relationship between art and social reality?
JHC: Even though I have always been very critical towards the Danes, the political
scene and the mentality among the citizens, I was shocked the day in 2001 when
Denmark elected the ultra right wing government. Lately, I flew back to Denmark
and what welcomed me home was a Danish paper with a front page story about the
Parliament seriously discussing to make a law stating that "foreigners" should get
a lower salery than Danes, when they do the same job, and another front page
story was trying to prove statistically that foreigners commit 80 percent of all
rapes in Denmark.
The situation in Denmark actually confirms that there are some major cultural
difficulties that I have been aware of for many years and dealt with in my artistic
praxis. It is nice to find out that these things are actually happening in the "objective
reality" and not only in my sick brain, but I am very worried about how far the
Danes are going to take the consequence of their populist and neoliberal ideas.
I have never agreed with the political, cultural or economical construction in the
country I live in, but my criticism towards the present situation is mainly based
on ethic and humanistic points of view. No human beings should be treated like
the foreigners are treated in Denmark, it is from my point of view unacceptable.
Concerning my opinion about the general relationship between art and social
reality, I am not really interested in putting up any overall views. Artists can talk
about whatever they like, some artists talk about and deal with their personal
subjective stories. I am occupied with multiculturalism, inter-human relations
and cultural critique or to put it in another way; I do not believe in any general
values like "it is important that artists take active part in the debate in the society",
I just do what is right for me in the hope that my activities can work as a frame
for reflection for some other human beings.
HHP
P.141