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colours – seen from my point of view, it is also a question about economy and the
relationship between materially rich and poor people and countries.
In Western society there is a lot of focus on the Arabs, Africans and Muslims, but the
main question is whether the people in the west are ready for a redistribution of the
resources of the world. It is a fact that most European countries do not have their
colonies anymore, but still the economical aspects, dependencies and the
relationship between the countries in the world have not changed.
I would like to turn your question into: will the rich people like to share with the
poor? To be honest, I really don't know, how the western society can adapt to a new
reality which is increasingly multicultural, of course I would like it to happen. I
could say: Yes, I am working on it, but I am doubting whether the situation in
society is making any progress.
HHP: Also, most of your projects not only involve immigrants in Western society. They
also, through introducing the "marginalized" social groups into the "mainstream"
art institutions, challenge the social role of art and art institutions. I am
particularly interested in this kind of provocative actions. Can you describe
them more in detail?
JHC: I have never operated with the term provocation; it has been mentioned more
than once in relation to projects I have done, but I have never been working with
provocation as a criteria, term or tool. I am interested in establishing a confrontation,
a confrontation with some of the facts, which are part of the construction we live in.
I have made quite a few projects which have involved immigrants in the Western
society, and this is the topic in our society that I am most concerned with, but not
only because of the social and political implications. Seen from an existential point
of view, the immigrants are put in a very difficult situation, and I will go so far as to
say that the immigrants in the society I live in, are the ones who are under the biggest
pressure from the divergences in the culture. Some of the moves I make challenge
the social role of art and art institutions, but I do not really know how to start
talking about it, maybe you could give me a more detailed question to start from ?
HHP: Obviously, your work, if not provocative, critically questions the notion of
legality, or the legal system. Your works, very often challenge the borderline between
the established legal system and the legally marginalized activities considered
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