At the Berlin Biennale (Berlin Biennale) – an exhibition of contemporary art – a scandal broke out. The French artist Jean-Jacques Lebel (Jean-Jacques Lebel) created in one of the rooms of the Berlin Museum “Hamburg Station – Museum of Modernity” (Hamburger Bahnhof) “Labyrinth of Horror”. The installation is made from well-known photographs taken by the US military at Abu Ghraib prison, which show the humiliation and torture of Iraqi prisoners. Lebel hung canvases with enlarged fragments of photographs on the walls and indoors. It is not visible from the outside what is in the room, so visitors are warned at the entrance that they are in for spooky scenes.

The artists condemned the organizers

This work was contested by Rijin Sahakian, a participant at the Berlin Biennale, born in Baghdad and initiator of the non-profit project Sada, which carried out education and advocacy programs for Baghdad artists in 2010-2015. She wrote an open letter, which was signed by 15 other representatives of the art scene. She denounces, among other things, that the Biennale uses “photographs of illegally detained and abused Iraqis” for commercial purposes and without the consent of the victims. In addition, she was outraged that there was no agreement with other Iraqi artists whose work is displayed alongside the controversial installation. To go from one piece of art by Iraqi authors to another, visitors had to pass through a “labyrinth” with images of scenes of violence against prisoners. Some artists and visitors found this approach by the organizers insensitive, traumatic and unacceptable.

Bienal organizers responded that the two Iraqi artists who did not want to exhibit alongside Lebel’s project were given another location for their exhibitions. One work has already been surpassed and the other is still being negotiated with the artist. On Facebook, the organizers posted a message that “for technical reasons, the exhibition will be closed for one day, August 4th.”

Torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib

The torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison was carried out by the US military. According to the testimonies of the victims, some of them were victims of sexual violence, the guards mounted the prisoners on horseback, forced them to fish for food from the prison toilets and provoked other types of bullying. According to the prisoners, they were tortured, shocked, forced to walk on all fours like dogs and yelp, thrown into cells, poured water on the floor and forced to sleep in this mud.

Prisoner abuse photos at Abu Ghraib prison sparked a high-profile international scandal

At the same time, the guards constantly photographed everything. In April 2004, the American channel CBS showed a story about torture in prison. Photos of US military personnel posing in front of a “pyramid” of naked prisoners, as well as other evidence of bullying and violence at Abu Ghraib, caused an international scandal. From 2004 to August 2007, the military court heard more than 11 cases from American guards, eight of which received prison sentences and disciplinary sanctions.

The Bienal’s political focus

The Berlin Biennale of Contemporary Art brings together artists, theorists and practitioners from around the world in various locations across the city once every two years. This event is funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and has a political focus, addressing the pressing issues of our time. The twelfth edition of the Berlin Biennale of Contemporary Art takes place this year from June 11 to September 18. Six locations in Berlin showcase the work of 70 creative teams and artists who speak out against colonial narratives and represent decolonization strategies.