Artists protesting against the Australian cultural institution using services of a discredited private security firm have achieved their goal.
Source: Tatjana Plitt/Artists’ Committee/ArtAsiaPacific
The first protests against the cooperation between the National Gallery and Wilson Security company were held in August, when it was revealed that the firm employees were involved in human rights violations. Leaked documents showed that they physically and sexually assaulted women and children in Australian immigration camps on Nauru and Manus Island, ArtAsiaPacific reports.
The Artists’ Committee, an association of Melbourne-based artists, published an open letter to the director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Tony Ellwood, urging the institution to stop using service of the company. The letter was signed by over 1,500 people, including artists, art professionals, gallery employees and members of the public.
Artists held several protest actions targeting Wilson Security, including the blockage of the NGV Triennial’s main entrance on December 14, 2017, renaming Candice Breitz’s work Love Story as Wilson Must Go, which inspired other artists and musicians to join the campaign and rename their works.
A statement the gallery sent to the Artists’ Committee says that Wilson Security will be replaced by SecureCorp, a company within the Guardforce Group.
Subscribe to our mailing list: