Demonstrators protesting Abu Dhabi labour policies put unsanctioned art on walls of NYC museum

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Protesters critical of the Guggenheim Museum’s planned outpost in Abu Dhabi have smuggled artworks into the museum.

The New York Times reports (http://nyti.ms/1lLvxNT ) that about 40 protesters spread throughout the New York City museum’s Frank Lloyd Wright building on Saturday and put the artworks up. Guards quickly removed the unsanctioned art.

The action staged by a group called Global Ultra Luxury Faction, or GULF, was part of a growing protest of labour conditions on Saadiyat Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Critics say much of the work on Saadiyat Island is done by foreign migrants who are required to pay large recruitment and transit fees.

A statement from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation said that strengthening labour protections was a museum priority.

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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com