the following is a translation of a letter originally written in slovene language into english

Soros center for contemporary arts Ljubljana

Cankarjeva 11/1

Ljubljana 1000

Ljubljana, 27th October 1994

Dear Members of the International Committee of the Urbanaria Exhibition,

Yesterday I received your letter explaining the reasons for your rejection of the project proposal, which I have sent to your invitation for applications.

I carefully studied Your letter (dated 6th September 1994) and have thereupon decided to engage in the most extreme of all manners to continue my project by including You, respected members of the Committee and the SCCA Centre. As I have explained in my project proposal, this means the activation of the sub-project STOP-KUNST-STOP. My decision is based on the following findings:

1. Reliable and verifiable sources have stated that the members of the SCCA Ljubljana submitted the project proposal to the International Committee despite the fact, that it had not been translated into English. Thereby a fundamental prerequisite, which I have included in my project proposal, was violated.

The only appropriate action on the part of the persons in charge would be not to submit the project proposal to the International Committee.

2. In the public statement of the Urbanaria Exhibition No.1 it was stated that among other project proposals, exhibited in the public exhibition in the National and University Library, the project in question by the Egon March Institute will be presented as well.

I interpret the manner in which my project proposal was handled as a grave violation of my author’s rights and an attempt to destroy a work of art. Any person of culture who would read my project proposal in it’s original form would understand this point.

3. In the letter the International Committee of Urbanaria Exhibition have stated the following false and offensive assertions:

-that with the rejection of my project proposal my expectations were met

-that after the rejection of my project proposal the project is considered to be realized

-that I have provoked the International Committee

-that my project proposal is an attempt to demontage the Soros foundation

Evidently the person who wrote the letter was not literally acquainted with the project proposal. It is most cynical of the International Committee to send me their answer in English, though they did not receive the English translation of the project proposal itself.

Furthermore it seems rather short-minded of the Soros Centre to interpret a distinctively well-intentioned project proposal as being destructive.

I have authorized an international group of artists to observe the development of the project The First Exercise for the End of the World and have now informed them about the actions of Your Committee. I have also prepared a suggestion for the continuation of the project. As explained, the group will take a vote on my suggestion. From there on, of course, art will choose its own path, completely unpredictable and independent of any institution.

I hereby prohibit any publication or exhibition of the project The First Exercise for the End of the World.

Yours sincerely,

Marko Košnik Virant