Uncleared Invoices Statement

As curators, theorists, artists and contributors in other capacities, we all accepted the invitation of Franco Marinotti, artistic director and president of Fondazione La Fabbrica del Cioccolato (Blenio Valley, Canton Ticino, Switzerland) to work, show, or lecture at the newly founded institution.

The activity of the foundation began in 2016. As is customary in the field of art, we worked on the assumption of mutual trust, contributing to the program on the basis of emails assuring us of an honorarium. But now, several months after our work was completed, our invoices are still uncleared.

Parallel to his involvement in La Fabbrica del Cioccolato, Franco Marinotti is an entrepreneur and also a politician affiliated to Verdi Liberali Tessin (http://ti.verdiliberali.ch/attuale/articoli-e-media.html). He divides his time between Castagnola (Switzerland), Italy and Barcelona, where he prefers to ignore our messages and reminders of payments owed.

Giovanni Casella Piazza, the foundation’s vice-president and founder, a film producer and resident of La Fabbrica del Cioccolato, pretends to know nothing whatsoever about uncleared invoices.

Cultural producers are not alone in awaiting outstanding payments. The former assistant of the artistic director, who was employed under formal contract, has likewise been forced to wait for arrears. This single mother of a young child has already instructed a lawyer to take all necessary steps to recover the income owed for several months’ work.

For a few of us the money owed should supplement income from some kind of day job. For all of us, however – especially but not only those with no such regular employment – it is a matter of economic necessity: in other words, of survival. In writing this letter together we intend to enforce the claims of everyone who depends on the payments agreed.

It appears that Franco Marinotti offered payment for our work on behalf of La Fabbrica del Cioccolato at a moment when the foundation clearly lacked the necessary funds.

For a person who declares on the website of La Fabbrica del Cioccolato (http://www.lafabbricadelcioccolato.ch/en/about-us/artistic-director/) and again on his personal site (http://twoogroup.com/) that he “inherited his father’s talent and sensitivity for the world of art”, no solution should be thinkable except that of immediately paying all uncleared invoices. As artistic director and president of the foundation, he is personally responsible for this breach of trust and the resulting economic distress.

Elena Bari, communication manager, Berlin and Milan

Federica Martini, art historian and curator, Lausanne

Gerald Raunig, philosopher and art theorist, Málaga and Zurich

Oliver Ressler, artist and filmmaker, Vienna

Noah Stolz, curator, Geneva