Over the years, we’ve come to know you – (by following your work as an artist) – as somebody who operates from a feminist worldview and according to feminist principles. Your work has sought to take on and critique patriarchal power over decades. We address you now because we’ve come to view you as a feminist ally. We address you also, because – unlike other artists who are represented by König Galerie – you’ve recently chosen to take a public position in relation to the allegations that have been brought forward against Johann König in an article published by Die Zeit.

When members of Berlin’s feminist community have drawn your attention to these allegations in the past, you’ve chosen to ignore them. We are grateful that the public attention that these allegations are now receiving, has, at last, made them tangible for you (or, at least, impossible to ignore). We do not wish to single you out. We believe that even those who do not think of themselves as ‘feminists’ should be able to take a strong position when it comes to allegations of abuse of power.
We do, however, assume – given the fact that you’ve built a successful and prominent career based on feminist content – that you’re probably the artist within the gallery’s roster who is most likely to feel some sense of solidarity with the women who have voiced the allegations. We dearly want to believe that the brazenly feminist content of your work might be consistent with how you wish to use your agency in the world outside of your artistic practice. You surely know, as a feminist, that when it comes to allegations of sexual misconduct, the German legal system notoriously prioritizes the protection of the accused (against reputational damage and the invasion of their privacy), above the protection of women and others who are subject to abuses of power. We would be happy to provide you with research that maps out how difficult it is for women who have faced sexual transgressions to find justice via legal process in Germany – it is virtually impossible.

You are surely aware, as a feminist, that credible research indicates that women who make such claims are frequently disbelieved when they come forward (which inevitably means that many refrain from doing so). In fact, as we surely don't need to remind you, the percentage of women who lie about having been sexually harassed or assaulted is negligible (we would be happy to share in-depth research with you to back this up). Over the last week, we’ve been confused by the press that has reported on your shifting relationship with König Galerie. Artnews, for example, claims (in the headline of their story), that you have “paused” your relationship with the gallery; but then continues, in the very first paragraph of their article, to say that you have “publicly severed ties” with the gallery (https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/monica-bonvicini-konig-pauses-repr...). Though many may be indifferent to the slipperiness of this report (ending a relationship is one thing; pausing a relationship is something else entirely), we hope you’ll understand that to us – the community that has stood in solidarity with the women who have brought these allegations forward over time – these little nuances do make a difference. Rather than trying to untangle the ambiguity of your “pause” gesture via speculation, we are respectfully approaching you to request clarity. Have you indeed “severed ties” with König Galerie – in other words, conclusively ended your working relationship with the gallery? Or, on the other hand, have you only temporarily “paused” that relationship?

When asked about your relationship with the gallery recently by a journalist, König Galerie replied – via gallery spokesperson Christoph Pantke – that both Katharina Grosse and yourself are still represented by the gallery. Your name still appears on the gallery’s website, though it is no longer possible to click on it. Given the very mixed messages that are in circulation concerning your relationship with the gallery, we would prefer to hear from you directly, rather than drawing conclusions based on sloppy press coverage or statements put forward by the gallery. Our inclination is to give you the benefit of the doubt and to listen openly to what you have to say, rather than relying on the ambiguity of secondary sources. We write to you now – publicly and transparently – because if you have indeed decided to end your relationship with König Galerie, we would like to thank you for choosing to express your solidarity with the ten women who have spoken to Die Zeit, rather than giving the benefit of the doubt to a single extremely powerful man.

If, on the other hand – as indicated by the press coverage thus far – you have chosen a ‘wait-and-see’ approach (which could be understood to suggest that your decision as to whether to “un-pause” your partnership with König Galerie will be based on a legal verdict delivered by a system that consistently fails victims of sexual misconduct), we’d like to understand that too. We are not writing to you to make demands or to dictate your path forward. We merely wish to accurately understand your stance, so that we can avoid misrepresenting the position you have taken. We’ve been excited about your upcoming exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie later this month. As far as we can tell, you’re the first feminist artist who is based in Germany to be given the honor of a major, one-person exhibition in this prestigious context. In light of the fact that approximately 90% of the works in the museum’s collection are works by white men (according to Klaus Biesenbach), it is especially momentous that the institution has offered you this significant platform. You may not be aware that Berlin is currently awash with rumors suggesting that König Galerie is generously supporting the realization of your exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie (most mention a figure of €200.000 when they spread this rumor, though some seem to think that a much higher sum is involved). We are aware that rumors can be dangerous and should not automatically be treated as truths.

Which is why we are turning to you directly, as the only person who can clarify your position irrefutably. We ask you, Monica – as someone who insistently puts herself into the world as a feminist – to help us understand the current status quo of your relationship with König Galerie. You will understand that the timing of the public announcement indicating that you have “paused” your relationship with König Galerie (a couple of weeks before your exhibition opens at the Neue Nationalgalerie) – for those who are most skeptical among us – could easily be read as a strategy via which you hope to have your cake (enjoy a moment of career visibility while deflecting any feminist critique that could be leveled against you) as well as to eat it (keep open the possibility of continuing a lucrative relationship with König Galerie). Most of us, though, would prefer to believe that you truly have decided to conclusively sever ties with the gallery, given what a major milestone your exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie could potentially represent for women (and for feminism) in this country. The Soup du Jour community – consisting of more than a thousand loosely affiliated feminist allies who are active in the realm of art and culture in Germany – would like to be able to celebrate this moment with you without reservation.

We look forward to the clarity that only you can provide, Soup du Jour