The Zimbabwean artist Richard Mudariki, whose Art World Passport project highlights issues of access in the art world, has been denied a visa after he applied to show the project in Basel.
Art World Passport is an initiative in which physical booklets are sold to members of the public, online or at major art events. Buyers can then document their experiences at the events by adding their own doodles, comments and photographs to the pages. The booklets also have metaphorical value, in that they respond to the “challenges artists in the global South face, in term of accessing institutions in the West and growing their careers”, Mudariki says.
The project has been shown twice, including at 1:54 art fair in New York last year. Mudariki, who is based in Cape Town, had hoped to debut it in Europe this week at the new Africa Basel art fair, however his visa application was rejected by the Swiss embassy in Pretoria.
The refusal letter stated that the decision was based on “the information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay” not being “reliable”, and referenced “reasonable doubts as to the reliability of the statements made as regards the submitted reservation for accommodation”.
Mudariki claims that he had reserved a hotel near Basel via the website Booking.com. He says he had also booked accommodation in Zürich, where he was meant to be by 7 June for a show he had curated of work by leading Zimbabwean artists.
He says he does not understand the reason for the refusal. “I had two invitation letters from organisations in Switzerland with their contact details and clear information of what I’ll be doing there. My career has now spanned 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve been told I can’t travel.”
The news came too late for Mudariki to appeal, he says, and he will not get a refund for the application fee nor for his flights. However, he has continued with the project, appearing at Africa Basel by video link instead. The passports are being sold there for SFr400 each, and access to a range of fairs and museums in the city is included in the price.
Pondering the decision, Mudariki asks: “Is it because of this era that we’re living in… that maybe nations are more looking inward than being united? It’s all these questions that this project starts extending to.”
