A 2017 film satirizing the art world is back in the headlines after the production company behind The place officially apologized to the Berlin-based Argentine artist Lola Arias. She is named in the movie, directed by Ruben Ostlundas the creator of the titular artwork, an illuminated outline of a square on a cobblestone courtyard within which viewers must promise to treat everyone the same.
“We would like to apologize to Lola Arias for the way her name was used in the fictional film. The place“, production platform said in a statement shared by Deadline.
“We understand that the use of Lola Arias’ name, which has not been discussed as clearly as it should have been, has created a misunderstanding linking her work as an artist to the artwork The Square (Rutan)“, the statement continues. “After meeting the artist in Berlin and discussing the misperception caused, we would like to point out that The Square (Rutan) is an artwork originally created by Ruben Östlund and Kalle Boman for the city of Värnamo, Sweden in 2015. Any reference to artist Lola Arias as the creator of the artwork is fictitious.
In 2017, Arias filed a lawsuit against the company in Berlin. She claimed that the film led some people to mistakenly think that she created the artwork or to confuse her with a fictional character.
The artist was originally slated to play a minor role in the film, but Arias’ character did not make the final cut. She alleged that Plattform Produktion had used her name without her consent.
With Claes Bang as curator of contemporary art and Elisabeth Moss as journalist, the film wins the prestigious Palme d’Or At Cannes film festival In France.
Arias had hoped that suing would prevent the film from being distributed unless it was edited to remove mentions of his name. It remains to be seen if Plattform will follow up on their apology with a recut of the film without Arias. As of press time, neither the artist nor the production company had responded to requests from Artnet News.
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