ARTISTS TALKING

# 21 [12 May 2009]

As the boredom struck whilst cutting paper for a new series of prints based on my new 'line' / 'zip' series on aluminium I 've been watching the news.

The Pope's visit to Israel has reminded me that the subject of the Holocaust actually is a 'hot-topic'. The media hype may be obscuring the facts, but it was fascinating to watch the pontiff make his speech at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, the camera focusing on the chairman: Rabbi Lau, a Holocaust survivor, looking on disapprovingly. Afterwards he expressed disappointment at the speech: "there certainly was no apology expressed here . . .". For what?

The press have reported that the Pope is in a difficult position: he was a member of Hitler Youth (reluctantly) conscripted during the war, is planning to make Pope Pius XII (wartime pope who stayed neutral during the war and did nothing to hault the killing of Jews) a saint and has reinstated Bishop Richard Williamson and four colleagues who were excommunicated for denying the existence of the Holocaust (Williamson stated 20 years ago:" There was not one Jew killed in the gas chambers. It was all lies, lies, lies. The Jews created the Holocaust so we would prostrate ourselves on our knees before them and approve of their new state of Israel . . . Jews made up the Holocaust").

It has been reported that the Pope's presence at the Holocaust Memorial is a statement against the Holocaust deniers in itself. He also paid tribute to the memory of the six million Jews who perished: "May the names of these victims never perish. May their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotton".

It is not for me to comment - I just find it fascinating that the visit has caused such controversy; I cannot stop being reminded of all though armchair critics of my work who tell me it is not relevant today.

Back to paper cutting now - a day of printing tomorrow.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

Sources:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242029...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8045094.stm

# 22 [12 May 2009]

I have just had two videos accepted for the Athens Video Art Festival:

http://www.athensvideoartfestival.gr/eng/default.a...

They only contacted me yesterday, it starts on Thursday, so too short notice for me to attend, which is a shame.

Recently I seem to have dedicated a lot of time to filling in application forms, preparing DVDs and stills, writing summaries, packing up the work and nipping out to the post office, only to never hear from the organisers again. I put this down to the fact that I decided to include a statement at the start of the videos explaining their origin:

This is a video-walk through ruins and across scrub in a former concentration camp at Rivesaltes in the south of France, between the Mediterranean and the mountains on the edge of a motorway. Refugees have been held here during the dark episodes of the twentieth century: the Spanish Revolution, World War Two when thousands of Jews were sent from here to Auschwitz, the Algerian War of Independence, and recently, Eastern Europeans without visas seeking a better life.

The videos (including the ones accepted by Athens) ceased to be obscure and started to be overtly about the Holocaust and the other dark periods of twentieth century France. Prior to this year the same videos, without the statement, were generally accepted for festivals.

I accept that the work is not straightforward when compared to figurative videos based on a narrative, which was a reason for me to add the statement in the first place - my work demands time and effort from the viewer and the viewing experience desired is more akin to the experience of viewing paintings (after all, I am a painter).

I suppose it's just how it goes - win some, lose some. If the work is not suited to some festivals / galleries it means that I have to spend more time  targeting the ones who are sympathetic to my style of work and subject. The statement on the videos will stay for now.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 23 [12 May 2009]

The Holocaust is featuring a lot in the news this week.

Today the trial of John Demjanjuk has started in Munich. He is accused of taking part in the murder of 29,000 Jews, but he claims it is a case of mistaken identity - he says he was a prisoner of war held by the Nazis during the war and not an SS guard at Sobibor death camp.

This is the second time he has stood trial - originally in 1988 for the same crimes, by an Israeli court - he was sentenced to death as 'Ivan the Terrible' but later released due to lack of evidence. He has lived in America since 1951.

Headline news, shows people are still concerned by issues concerning the Holocaust.

In France there is a different format for the news on TV - it was reported, half an hour into the news for ten seconds, immediately following the thirty seconds dedicated to the Pope's visit to Jerusalem.

Back to paper cutting . . .

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7998947.stm

# 24 [17 May 2009]

This weekend I've been a little disappointed that I couldn't attend the Video Art Festival in Athens (too short notice), I decided to throw myself headfirst in to making some prints, which I've put off for a while.

Mid print-run, I heard the postman knock at the door - the "Place, Identity and Memory" catalogue had arrived. I have a book of prints in the exhibition which starts next week in Dumfries. My book is based on the 'Rivesaltes. Shoah' series of videos, see Post 8. The catalogue is a thing of beauty, hand-bound with origami-style fold-outs showcasing each of the 70 books. Unfortunately I couldn't hold the catalogue immediately as I was covered in ink.

The few days printing were tiring, but rewarding. I made four plates, carborundum on aluminium - printing on Whatman, which is always exciting as the ink seems to 'enter' the paper which still remains luminous. I was most pleased by the prints which were totally dark ('RSA. PI.'), the delineation of form is dependent on the contrast of the carborundum lines (the ink rested on the surface of the paper) with the spaces in between (ink which was pressed into the paper).

Once the print-run was finished, I decided to turn the plates in to finished works - the results being much more visually dramatic than the prints! Both the plates and prints have their own merits though. This week it's back to less exciting work, cleaning the prints.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 25 [20 May 2009]

I've been working on a series of line paintings (similar to the aluminium works) for the past two years; based on a video again, but I struggled to find that ineffable something that a painting needs. Well I found it today - perhaps it was the gorgeous weather we're having here, perhaps it was the sound of crickets, or that my wife could look after little Emilie allowing me to 'get dirty' and not worry about having to change a nappy . . . whatever it was, I'm glad they're finished after 2 years of dabbling, wiping away and thinking they're finished whilst not being convinced that I could ever show them.

Today I basically glazed over a texture of lines (which I'd built up methodically over weeks, maybe fifty layers) and manipulated the drips. The fluid paint has now sunk into the textures which has emphasised the lines. As a result of the wet paint the surface seems to have great depth which will probably disappear when they dry; I'm reluctant to use a gloss varnish, so I'll do some experiments.

There is little I can do in the studio, that is, until I can move the paintings, which is good as I've got some reading to catch up on; I recently received in the post an M.Phil thesis written on the most active and shocking years of the camp, 1941-1942. Morbid, but interesting, are photos of the incinerator (still standing but undiscovered by me) and Jewish tombs in the cemetary in the town of Rivesaltes. It looks like I'll be making another visit soon.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 26 [29 May 2009]

I was in Leclerc (France's Tescos) this morning in Limoux, the book section. I was looking for a book that has just been published on the camp at Rivesaltes that I knew was available in other branches. I looked on the shelves next to the till, the local interest section - I found loads of books on Rennes-le-Chateau (local Glastonbury) and also on the Cathars, but not the book on Rivesaltes. The cashier had to phone the manager, he took me to the history section where we found the book. When I asked why the book wasn't on the display of local interest books he said that it is a history book - I pointed out the title: "Les Camps de Rivesaltes, 1935 - 2007", he replied it's not a subject that tourists would be interested in. Bizarre.

I've been corresponding with Suzanne Bardgett (Head of Department of Holocaust and Genocide History at The Imperial War Museum) regarding my project and coincidentally she shall be in this area during the summer, so we are trying to arrange to meet so that I can give her a tour of the camp. She mentioned the 'Journal of Helene Berr', a Parisian Jew who was sent to Auschwitz from Drancy and then was killed at Bergen - Belsen five days before its liberation. She has been called France's Anne Frank. I wasn't aware that it had been published, but will now add it to my reading list - I am looking forward to reading something that's been translated in to English for a change - all the books I've read recently have been in French and very hard work.

 I'm also in the process of watching "The Sorrow and the Pity" (French documentary made in 1969 on Vichy France's collaboration with Germany during the war, including interviews of resistance members from Clermont-Ferrand, German soldiers, politicians, French and British MOD. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorrow_and_the_Pi...). I'm finding it fascinating, it's putting all the snippets of information on France during the war in to a context.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 27 [2 June 2009]

I've just had the most bizarre experience. Last week I was emailed by a student from St Louis, Missouri, she wanted to interview a printmaker - she had googled print studios in St Louis and came up with the name of my studio: Atelier St Louis, named after the village in which we live: St Louis in France. I explained and then jokingly said that she  could Skype me - which is exactly what she just did.

I gave a 15 minute presentation on the techniques I use and also the theme of my subject-matter, I explained about Rivesaltes. The group was really interested even though this was their first class of the day, whilst I had just swallowed the last mouthful of my evening meal. The lecturer likened my work to Kiefer who has two pieces in St Louis Museum and offered me a Steichan (or was it a stipend?).

They're going to read this blog, so hi St Louis.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 28 [16 June 2009]

I've just had a video screened at the Silent Movie Project at the Synch festival in Athens - I was one of only 23 video-artists, so wanted to attend, but it was my mother-in-law's 60th, so had to stay here.

I showed RS-A1, one of the videos I made on the beach at Argeles where there was a camp during the war. Post 4 of 11th October details the making of the footage.

The weekend was one big party, all of my wife's family attended - I had the opportunity to talk to her grandmother. She is 84, Dutch and a real character. She willingly and openly talks of her experiences during the war in occupied Holland.

We discovered a strong link between the work that her father and brother did as part of the resistance and this part of France: they helped Jewish families escape Holland who planned to head for Spain, via the Pyrenees. They guided Jews through a network of caves which led from Holland to Belgium, risked their lives and were part of the first stage of a long journey, unfortunately never knowing the outcome. Some escaped to Spain and freedom whilst others would have been caught en route in Belgium and France and probably some ended up at Rivesaltes destined for Auschwitz.

A book has been written by my wife's great uncle, Wim van Schaik about his encounters during the war - more to follow.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 29 [17 June 2009]

I'm not usually one to be shocked by the BBC's presentation of art  - but I've just heard the biggest load of drivel on BBC2's 'The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition'. A discussion led by Andrew Graham-Dixon on the inclusion of Video-Art in this year's show: Janet Street-Porter commented that it is merely poor cinema, Stephen Baily that it is poor art . . . Earlier in the programme the film critic Mark Kermode said that video should be reserved for the computer screen and not shown in a gallery. Unbelievable. Is it 1960? (Excuse the anachronisms.)

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/

# 30 [13 July 2009]

I managed to find the time to watch another section of ‘The Sorrow and the Pity’ today. The documentary film about occupied France during the war was made in 1968 but not screened in France until 1981 due to its controversial nature and tackling of taboo subjects.

I found the following section on anti-semitism particularly revealing, especially when accompanied by images used as part of an exhibition: ‘Jews and France’ held in Paris during the Second World War.

[Pierre Mendies-France (Prime Minister of France 1954-1955 and Air Force  Lieutenant 1939)]
“It is not surprising that, at first, such poison won over many new converts. Little by little, people began to realise it was propaganda and to see that the government was practising a policy which they themselves called collaboration with the enemy. Slowly but surely, people began to open their eyes and change their minds. But this propaganda still won over many new converts. You know as well as I do that anti-semitism and Anglophobia are never hard to stir up in France. Even if reactions to such things are dormant or stifled, all it takes is one event, one incident, one international crisis or one Dreyfus affair for feelings we thought long gone to suddenly re-emerge in full force, for beliefs we thought dead to be simply dormant.”

[During the war] Edward Drumont was the first in France to examine the Jewish question. The Institute of Jewish Questions celebrates his memory today. Mr Laville has agreed to say a few words. “Out of one hundred Frenchmen of old stock, at least 90 are pure white, free of any other racial mixture. This is not true of the Jews. The Jews are born a mixture which dates back thousands of years, between Aryans, Mongols and Negroes. Therefore, Jews have unique forces, bodies, attitudes and gestures, it is reassuring to see that the public is interested in studying the characteristics presented in the morphological section of “Jews and France”.


As it’s now the school holidays I may find it difficult to watch the remaining sections of the documentary without distractions – small doses of a documentary of this type are easier to digest though.

http://www.jonathan-moss.com/