LGBTQI+ Refugee Group Steals Documenta 14 Sculpture in Athens Protest
On May 21, 2017, the activist group LGBTQI+ Refugees took a 50kg replica of the Greek oath stone from Documenta 14 in Athens. This piece, created by Spanish artist Roger Bernat and playwright Roger Fratini, was supposed to be part of a performance where it would be carried around Athens before heading to Kassel, Germany. Bernat had asked various groups to help showcase the stone at different locations. Although they were paid €500, LGBTQI+ Refugees decided to keep the stone, issuing a statement that slammed the 'fetishization' of refugees and criticized the lavish spending on the art event while many refugees struggle in Greece and Europe. Their protest, titled 'Between a rock and a hard place,' humorously suggested possible fates for the sculpture, including imprisonment or flying to Sweden with a fake passport. Bernat and Fratini had anticipated this and made two replicas.
Key facts
- LGBTQI+ Refugees stole a 50kg replica of the Greek oath stone from Documenta 14 in Athens on 21 May 2017.
- The sculpture was created by Spanish artist Roger Bernat and dramatist Roger Fratini.
- The activists were paid €500 to participate in the performance but seized the stone in protest.
- The group condemned the 'fetishization' of refugees and the use of resources on Documenta 14.
- The statement was titled 'We have stolen your stone and we will not give it back.'
- Bernat and Fratini had created two copies of the original, anticipating theft.
- The protest was called 'Between a rock and a hard place.'
- The action reflects frustration over Documenta 14's arrival amid Athens' social, economic, and political turmoil.
Entities
Artists
- Roger Bernat
- Roger Fratini
Institutions
- LGBTQI+ Refugees
- Documenta 14
- Hyperallergic
Locations
- Athens
- Greece
- Kassel
- Germany
- Sweden
- Pedion tou Areos
- Moria detention centre