Conference: "radius of art" No change angels - Artists and social transformation

No change angels – Artists and social transformation

Artists are not working outside political and social structures but are agents who are involved and are a part of them, as are curators and art patrons. Does it make sense to expect artists to contribute to social transformation? This forum offers the perspectives of four professionals as a starting point to discuss their leverage and their working conditions at the intersection of artistic and political practice. What does the artist want to achieve? How does the artist conceive of her or his own role and endeavour in relation to the social sphere that the work refers to? How do others perceive this? Do conditions of production differ from those of “l’art pour l’art”? Is the in/dependence of the artist an issue and, if so, how is it negotiated? When do gender, race, and social class come into the game? Is there a culture of political or social scrutiny for this kind of art? What makes a work a success? And in all this, which direction do partners, patrons, and their institutional policies point?

Speakers:
Peter Hauschnik (Programmee Manager Cooperación entre Estado y Sociedad Civil para el Desarrollo de la Paz CERCAPAZ, GIZ, Colombia)
Cesar Lopez (Musician, Bogota, Colombia)
Gabi Ngcobo (Curator and Researcher, Centre for Historical Reenactement, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Lia Perjovschi (Artist, Bucharest and Sibiu, Romania)

Moderator:
Kerstin Meyer (Political Economist and Artist, Berlin, Germany)