Artist: OMA/Rem Koolhaas published by Taschen
Confronting Bodies: OMA/Rem Koolhaas vs Chinese corporations
Date of Action: 2004
Specific Location: OMA/Rem Koolhaas offices, Beijing (China) and internet
Description of Artwork: Content is a follow-up to SMLXL, an inventory of seven years of OMA's tireless labour. In many ways it is structured according to what its predecessor is not - dense, cheap, disposable. The relentless internal logic that propelled SMLXL is here counteracted by the incorporation of critical, external voices.
Description of Incident: the designers of CONTENT's publication proposed polemical cartoons/caricatures of OMA's projects for the cover. OMA rejected these proposals and instead chose a version in which the CCTV building is presented as the positive and shining symbol of a changing world order - which reflects our sincere intention with the design. The designers of the book included the rejected covers in miniature as an appendix. In 2005, some of the rejected images circulated on internet in China. Now, the same images re-circulate on the internet, causing upset and speculation. OMA did not produce the images and their content does not represent their opinion in any way.
Results of Incident: Statement regarding the publication Content (2004) by OMA/Rem Koolhaas and their final sentence about: "We regret the renewed attention, and distance ourselves emphatically from the interpretations attributed to these images" (In a way a case of self-censorship related to their image as a company)
Source: http://oma.eu/publications/ content
Submitted By: Sabrina Fernandez Casas