A World Where Many Worlds Fit (Taipei Biennial 2008)

A WORLD WHERE MANY WORLDS FIT

A section on the counter-globalisation movement for the Taipei Biennial 2008

Curated by Oliver Ressler

The trope “A World Where Many Worlds Fit” goes back to Subcommandante Marcos, when talking about the Zapatistas’ struggles in the Lacandonian Rainforest in Mexico. Since their uprising in 1994 the Zapatistas have been fighting for a less hierarchical, autonomous world with more options to offer in democratic decision-making processes. They fight against an existing world, which calls itself “democratic,” but should rather be seen as a form of sophisticated oligarchy that functions especially in favour of the interests of the political and economic elites. In other parts of the world the stick that punishes people who envision another world is usually not so visible. But this can change suddenly when those in power assemble in the framework of the summits of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Economic Forum (WEF) or the G8. Though the decisions made by politicians and business leaders at such meetings affect the lives of all people in the world, the negotiations take place hidden from the public gaze, behind fences and under massive security with the protection of thousands of riot police. These gatherings have become a symbol for the undemocratic and illegitimate formation of global capitalism.