{"article":{"id":111435,"heading":"FBI ABDUCTS ARTIST, SEIZES ART","author":"frwded by The Journal of Aesthetics & Protest","created":"2004-05-29 11:58:59","modified":"2004-05-30 21:06:18","last_modified":"Mon, 31 May 2004 04:06:18","article":"

FBI ABDUCTS ARTIST, SEIZES ART

Feds Unable to Distinguish Art from Bioterrorism

Grieving Artist Denied Access to Deceased Wife's Body

DEFENSE FUND ESTABLISHED - HELP URGENTLY NEEDED

Steve Kurtz was already suffering from one tragedy when he called 911

early in the morning to tell them his wife had suffered a cardiac arrest

and died in her sleep. The police arrived and, cranked up on the rhetoric

of the \"War on Terror,\" decided Kurtz's art supplies were actually

bioterrorism weapons.

Thus began an Orwellian stream of events in which FBI agents abducted

Kurtz without charges, sealed off his entire block, and confiscated his

computers, manuscripts, art supplies... and even his wife's body.

Like the case of Brandon Mayfield, the Muslim lawyer from Portland

imprisoned for two weeks on the flimsiest of false evidence, Kurtz's case

amply demonstrates the dangers posed by the USA PATRIOT Act coupled with

government-nurtured terrorism hysteria.

Kurtz's case is ongoing, and, on top of everything else, Kurtz is facing a

mountain of legal fees. Donations to his legal defense can be made at

http:\/\/www.rtmark.com\/CAEdefense\/<\/a>

FEAR RUN AMOK

Steve Kurtz is Associate Professor in the Department of Art at the State

University of New York's University at Buffalo, and a member of the

internationally-acclaimed Critical Art Ensemble.

Kurtz's wife, Hope Kurtz, died in her sleep of cardiac arrest in the early

morning hours of May 11. Police arrived, became suspicious of Kurtz's art

supplies and called the FBI.

Within hours, FBI agents had \"detained\" Kurtz as a suspected bioterrorist

and cordoned off the entire block around his house. (Kurtz walked away the

next day on the advice of a lawyer, his \"detention\" having proved to be

illegal.) Over the next few days, dozens of agents in hazmat suits, from a

number of law enforcement agencies, sifted through Kurtz's work, analyzing

it on-site and impounding computers, manuscripts, books, equipment, and

even his wife's body for further analysis. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Health

Department condemned his house as a health risk.

Kurtz, a member of the Critical Art Ensemble, makes art which addresses

the politics of biotechnology. \"Free Range Grains,\" CAE's latest project,

included a mobile DNA extraction laboratory for testing food products for

possible transgenic contamination. It was this equipment which triggered

the Kafkaesque chain of events.

FBI field and laboratory tests have shown that Kurtz's equipment was not

used for any illegal purpose. In fact, it is not even _possible_ to use

this equipment for the production or weaponization of dangerous germs.

Furthermore, any person in the US may legally obtain and possess such

equipment.

\"Today, there is no legal way to stop huge corporations from putting

genetically altered material in our food,\" said Defense Fund spokeswoman

Carla Mendes. \"Yet owning the equipment required to test for the presence

of 'Frankenfood' will get you accused of 'terrorism.' You can be illegally

detained by shadowy government agents, lose access to your home, work, and

belongings, and find that your recently deceased spouse's body has been

taken away for 'analysis.'\"

Though Kurtz has finally been able to return to his home and recover his

wife's body, the FBI has still not returned any of his equipment,

computers or manuscripts, nor given any indication of when they will. The

case remains open.

HELP URGENTLY NEEDED

A small fortune has already been spent on lawyers for Kurtz and other

Critical Art Ensemble members. A defense fund has been established at

http:\/\/www.rtmark.com\/CAEdefense\/<\/a> to help defray the legal costs which

will continue to mount so long as the investigation continues. Donations

go directly to the legal defense of Kurtz and other Critical Art Ensemble

members. Should the funds raised exceed the cost of the legal defense, any

remaining money will be used to help other artists in need.

To make a donation, please visit http:\/\/www.rtmark.com\/CAEdefense\/<\/a>

For more information on the Critical Art Ensemble, please visit

http:\/\/www.critical-art.net\/<\/a>

Articles about the case:

http:\/\/www.rtmark.com\/CAEdefense\/news-WKBW-2.html<\/a>

http:\/\/www.rtmark.com\/CAEdefense\/news-WKBW.html<\/a>

On advice of counsel, Steve Kurtz is unable to answer questions regarding

his case. Please direct questions or comments to Carla Mendes

<CAEdefense@rtmark.com<\/a>>.

\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"http:\/\/www.critical-art.net\/","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"A member of the Critical Art Ensamble, a seminal early 90's theory\/art outfit ( famous for saying that internet street protest is dead- for which they latter oppologized) is under heavy FBI scrutiny for his bio-tech related art practice.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2004\/05\/111435.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}