A curious scandal is unfolding around ARTJOG's use of @davidgraeber 's Another Art World (originally published by @e_flux).
Never mind that "Another Art World" was co-written by @davidgraeber and me. Never mind that the project grew out of ideas around Proletkult—something David knew nothing about, but happily embraced and connected to German Romanticism.
Of course, had David's name not been on the essay, probably neither my name nor the essay itself would have attracted much attention. Brands work.
The irony gets even better. The exhibition is about cultural reproduction, intergenerational transmission, and even includes children as participants—all ideas remarkably close to the Anthropology for Kids (https://t.co/UmgPj7Rl32) work David and I developed together.
And now the whole thing has exploded because the festival invoked Graeber's ideas while accepting sponsorship from the foundation of the president's son - a notorious vampire.
Here's the truly uncomfortable thought: branding works just as ruthlessly on the left as it does on the right. Famous names become currencies.
The funniest part? If the @Graeber_social had behaved like a proper intellectual-property brand manager and demanded permission to use the Graeber name, the biennial might have had to negotiate with us—including some awkward conversations about sponsors. But if I simply ask to be acknowledged as a co-author, I risk looking petty.
That may be the most Graeberian irony of all.
https://t.co/IKyE0wagYB