Friday, April 1, 2016, 4–8pm
Zurich University of the Arts
Hörsaal 1, 3.K01
Pfingstweidstrasse 96
Zurich
Saturday, April 2, 2016, 11am–5pm
Zurich University of the Arts
KINO TONI, 3.G02
Pfingstweidstrasse 96
Zürich
Ursula Biemann, Roger Buergel, Gerald Raunig, Emily Eliza Scott, Marcus Steinweg, Zheng Mahler, Artur Żmijewski
Concept: Marius Babias, Barbara Preisig, Christoph Schenker, Marcus Steinweg
What is Critique? Touching on the legacy of the Enlightenment, which always needs to be updated and critically analyzed, this question will be discussed in relation to its central role for civil society. A critical attitude towards all assertions and realities can put us in a position to reflect on such positions, instead of simply believing them to be true. At the same time we have to acknowledge that a critical attitude includes affirmative traits, and thus implies and presupposes affirmations that limit its critical reach. Divided into three parts, this series of events began with Jean-Luc Nancy’s Unser Zeitalter ist nicht mehr das eigentliche Zeitalter der Kritik (Our age is no longer the actual age of critique), a keynote lecture delivered at the HAU Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin on January 28. The series continues with two symposia under the title Was ist Kritik? (What is Critique?). The first symposium was held on February 6–7 at the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein, the second will take place on April 1–2 at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). The Zurich Symposium focuses on artistic practices. Three artists working in different social, institutional, and media fields will present their current work and, in conversation with selected respondents, will explore the possibilities of critical practice, the forms of locating one’s art, and the relation of critique and affirmation.
Friday, April 1, 4–8pm
Hörsaal 1, 3.K01
4pm
Barbara Preisig and Christoph Schenker (Zurich University of the Arts, Institute for Contemporary Art Research), Introduction
4:15pm
Marcus Steinweg (philosopher, Berlin)
5–8pm
Artur Żmijewski (artist, Warsaw and Berlin) in conversation with Gerald Raunig (philosopher, Zurich University of the Arts, eipcp)
Including a presentation of Artur Żmijewski’s The Mass 2 (2015), The Popular March from Madrid to Brussels (2015), Glory to the Academy (2013), Andrea, Christoph, Martin (2010), Rendez-vous (2004) and other movies
Saturday, April 2, 11am–5pm
KINO TONI, 3.G02
11am
Ursula Biemann (artist, Zurich) in conversation with Emily Eliza Scott (art historian, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH, Zurich, Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture)
Including a presentation of Ursula Biemann’s videos Forest Law (2014) and Subatlantic (2015)
2:30–5pm
Zheng Mahler (artist collective, Hong Kong) in conversation with Roger Buergel (curator, Johann Jacobs Museum, Zurich)
Including a presentation of video clips and images related to Zheng Mahler’s exhibition A Season in Shell (Johann Jacobs Museum, Zurich 2014) and the performance New York post et pre-figuratif (Performa Biennial, New York 2015)
The symposium will be held in English. Free entrance.