Labor: Guggenheim & G.U.L.F.

Flyer promoting G.U.L.F. protest of the Saadiyat Island worker conditions

Since February the group known as G.U.L.F. (Global Ultra Luxury Faction) has engaged in an aggressive campaign against the worker conditions in relation to the construction of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and a sister NYU campus. G.U.L.F.'s intentions lie in raising awareness about the exploitation of labor connected to the construction of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Numerous protests have taken place inside of the Guggenheim NY and are directly pointed at the Guggenheim's trustees, calling them to address the labor crisis in Abu Dhabi. The protests address the aggressive recruitment methods enacted by contracting companies, wage theft, substandard housing, and deportation as punishment for protesting against labor violations. 

G.U.L.F. has staged a handful of protests that took place at the Guggenheim throughout the year 2014 and are continuing to pursue the Guggenheim board of trustees to take action on improving the conditions for workers on Saaddiyat Island. During the Futurist exhibition Italian Futurism, 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe, which closed September 1, groups of protesters operating under the G.U.L.F. initiative staged an intervention that consisted of protesters attaching art works, designed by Noah Fischer, that spoke to the crisis in Abu Dhabi while adopting the Futurist aesthetic. Within 5 minutes the museum guard staff had confiscated the protest materials and had shut down the intervention. Though brief, this interaction between guard staff and protester revealed pertinent information to the G.U.L.F. cause: the museum guard staff were not receiving fair compensation for their work.  

When asked about the workers wages Richard Armstrong, Guggenheim Foundation executive director, stated that the Guggenheim guard staff receives their $10/hr wages from an independent company and therefore the Guggenheim could not be held responsible for the pay conditions of the employed guard staff. Allowing for the Guggenheim to shirk off responsibilities and opening up the door for worker exploitation, the implementation of a third party contractor is common among large institutional operations. Treated in a similar fashion, an independent company is maintaining the labor force and simultaneously monitoring the progress of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi construction site.