Art in Public Space

Art in public space: Strategies of politicization
predavanje, 17. oktobar 2014.

Lecturers: Ivana Hanaček i Ana Kutleša / [BLOK] – Local base for refreshment of culture

This year, the cultural and artistic scene marked a series of commemorative events thematically related to the centenary of the beginning of the First World War. Exhibitions, actions in public spaces, concerts – whether they took place under the high patronage of political elites within public institutions or as project initiatives of associations and individuals – regularly reproduce the dominant revisionist politics. Whether this will be the case next year, in which we mark 70 years since the end of the Second World War and the liberation from fascism, remains to be seen. However, it can already be argued that the thematization of the anti-fascist legacy in the artistic field is often approached from a personal perspective, determined by nostalgic memories of childhood or youth under socialism, or by idealizing and romanticizing the partisan struggle.

In this context, the lecture opens the question of how to produce an artistic practice that does not agree with the depoliticization of the historical context? Through several examples of art projects produced for the public space of Zagreb, the emphasis is placed on the own methodology of work and the issue of the relationship between artists and curators, as well as their shared responsibility. Furthermore, key questions are opened about the strategies of politicization of art, but also the necessity of translating the anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist struggle into a contemporary context.

Support: Ministry of Culture and Information