Art and political space in Europe
External activities | Yane Calovski's presentation | Art and political space in Europe: Alliances with civil society and strategies for collaboration - Another Europe More Europe #2 | Organised by: Kunstenpunt in collaboration with BOZAR| BOZAR Mezzanine, Brussels, 28 February, 2018
With this second round table on culture in Europe, we try to understand the actual political and social context in which artists and organizations are working in Central and South-East Europe and how engaged initiatives reconnect with civil society and reinvent institutional models. Tendencies of nationalism and populism are the case all over Europe. What can we learn from each other, what are the needs of art initiatives in Central and South-East Europe and how can we work together?
Programme
Opening keynote
Prof. Milena Dragićević Šešić, UNESCO Chair in cultural policy and management at University of Arts, Belgrade
Milena Dragićević Šešić explains the role of the Independent cultural organizations in the transition of an emerging civil society in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, by working context-based, critically engaged and being at the same time internationally connected, making them as true actors of social and cultural change.
Presentations by
Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina (Kosovo): Albert Heta, director
Stacion is an artist-initiative with clear social and political intents for the advance and emancipation of the contemporary art scene and cultural environment of Kosova, meant for artists, architects, thinkers, designers, critics and other sociopolitical workers committed in responding on relevant challenges of the contemporary society.
OFF-biennale Budapest (Hungary): Hajnalka Somogyi, director
OFF-biennale Budapest is the largest civil, independent arts initiative in Hungary, based on self-organization and a voluntary collaboration of artists, curators, gallerists, collectors and citizens.
Jadro Association / Press to Exit Project Space, Skopje (Macedonia): Yane Calovski
Jadro is an association of the independent cultural scene in Macedonia working on advocacy, and is establishing a socio-cultural centre in Skopje in cooperation with local municipality as a new model of co-governance in a new institutional framework.
Istanbul Foundation for Art and Culture IKSV (Turkey): Bige Örer, director Istanbul Biennial
IKSV is an independent, non-profit organization founded in 1973 by 17 businessmen and art appreciators under the leadership of Dr. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı and organizes four annual festivals (Music, Film, Theater, and Jazz) and two biennials (Istanbul and Istanbul Design) as well as numerous art and cultural events throughout the year.
Fabrica de Pensule, Cluj-Napoca (Romania): Corina Bucea, cultural manager
Independent and collective initiative which brings ideas, events and projects together of cultural organizations, galleries, producers and independent artists in Cluj as a reaction to the local lack of production and presentation spaces in the city, converting an industrial building into a cultural space.
Curator Diana Marincu (Fabrica de Pensule) explains the visual arts scene in Romania and it’s artistic answers to the current social and political context.