BIG PRISON

For the group exhibition FREIHEIT! At the Kunstpalais Erlangen, Ramberg created new work called BIG PRISON. It is a mixed media installation researching and contextualizing the life of the whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, consisting of two films, two stone sculptures and a letter.

Vanunu worked at the Dimona Nuclear Research Center, officially a power plant, but instead it secretly developed and manufactured nuclear weapons. In 1986 Vanunu went to London revealing documents and photographs to the Sunday Times, proving that Israel has 200 A bombs and 20 H bombs. While waiting for his story to be published he went to Rome, where he was kidnapped by the Israeli military and sent back to Tel Aviv. Vanunu was sentenced for treason and spent 18 years in prison, -11 years of them in total isolation in a 2mx3m cell.

Vanunu who was released in 2004 but is still under state arrest with heavy restrictions. Nevertheless Vanunu kept his uncompromising way of thinking calling himself «the symbol of the free will». Now, eight years later the state arrest, which was meant to be for only one year after his release, is still intact and every six months Vanunus restrictions get renewed. Vanunu describes Jerusalem as his new – big prison. The media have forgotten him and the states that wanted to grant him asylum went silent after pressure from Israel.

With BIG PRISON Ramberg addresses Vanunus continuing situation, of the lack of human rights. To avoid Vanunu facing consequences from breaking the restrictions again, Ramberg decided to film Vanunu from a distance. He put up a camera along his daily route in East Jerusalem, waiting for him to pass by. As he is walking along the borders of his big prison; from checkpoint to checkpoint, Vanunu reminds the world that he still is in prison - eager to get out. Like a Tiger in a cage. The distance in the shots allow the audience to take the position of the surveillance camera as if they were the secret police themselves.

The Author Günter Grass has written a poem about him, criticizing Israel for having nuclear weapons, as a result he was made a Persona Non Grata. Vanunu has responded with an open letter as result of Ramberg video installation.

Norwegian ministers had the intension to grant Vanunu asylum in Norway, - but they never did, despite the fact that they admitted some responsibility for his situation. Norway supported Israels nuclear program by giving them 20 tons of heavy water in 1959, which they used to create the A- bomb. The whistleblower Vanunu who has now bin in prison for 26 years, was nominated for the Norwegian Nobel Peace prize 9 times, - but never received it. Now is the time to let him go. Freedom Now!

FREIHEIT Zum 200. Jahrestag der entscheidenden Völkerschlacht der Freiheitskriege im Jahr 1813 wird sich das Kunstpalais in seiner Gruppenausstellung dem Thema „Freiheit“ widmen. Ausgehend von den Revolutionen im arabischen Raum, die in zahlreichen künstlerischen Werken thematisiert werden, spüren wir in unserer Konzeption dem Thema der politischen Freiheit nach, dem Kampf um Demokratie und Menschenrechte, dem Wunsch nach Aufbruch und dem Ringen um Selbstbestimmung. 12 internationale Künstler ( Alexander Apóstol, Johanna Billing, CAMP, Haejun Jo, Bouchra Khalili, Nikolaj Bendix Skyum Larsen, Klara Lidén, Lars Ø Ramberg, Nedko Solakov, Ai Weiwei, Artur Zmijewski) beleuchten das hoch aktuelle Thema aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven.

Für die Ausstellung werden zahlreiche Künstler neue Arbeiten konzipieren oder erstmalig in Deutschland zeigen. Lars Ø Ramberg stellt als Weltpremiere sein neues Videoprojekt BIG PRISON mit und über Mordechai Vanunu vor. Ai Weiwei präsentiert erstmals in einer Ausstellung sein Projekt „WeiweiCam“. Nedko Solakov realisiert im Kunstpalais eine neue in-situ-Arbeit. Bouchra Khalili zeigt erstmals die Videoinstallation „Speeches“ in Deutschland.