Han Haacke: Even though I am sickened by how cultural institutions have become part of the entertainment industry, I am not ready to write them off. I remember that in the sixties and seventies there were complaints that museums were too elitist, that their entrance fees were too high, that they were not accessible to “normal” folks. I have been a tourist in many art venues. Among my fellow tourists there were always some whose behaviour made me believe they were genuinely interested in what they were looking at, that it meant something to them. I believe several of the Documenta commissioners understood that Documenta is an ideological “battle ground”, and it is fair to say that the event has had an important impact on “ordinary” Germans and visitors from abroad. “Arts & Leisure”, as The New York Times calls its Sunday culture pages, is more than muzak. In spite of all our gripes, they remain a forum we should not vacate.
Full interview at http://www.macba.es/uploads/20051209/haacke_eng.pdf
See also http://www.macba.es/controller.php?p_action=show_page&pagina_id=29&inst_id=18736