“The Art of Ethics in the Contemporary Art Institution”

“The Art of Ethics in the Contemporary Art Institution” is part of the conference series “Overgaden LECTURES,” which was launched in 2013 to provide an annual opportunity for exploring key tendencies in the field of contemporary art in depth. This year we are focusing on some of the central ethical challenges and dilemmas facing the art institution today.

In the early 21st century, a series of marked social, political and economic changes have had a significant impact on the infrastructure and dynamics of the art world. The impact has been acutely felt by Western art institutions, which are under pressure from significant cutbacks in state funding, increased competition, demands to increased visitor numbers, new communication and public participation initiatives, earmarked private funding, and a more prevalent experience and project culture. These and other changes have brought the issue of the role and activities of art institutions today to the fore—including their responsibility and obligations as mediator between a still broader range of stakeholders and funding bodies whose interests rarely coincide. In this complex and conflict-ridden arena, it has become crucial not only to identify, but also to reconsider and reformulate the ethical basis and scope of the art institution to retain its relevance in the society of the future.

During this two-day conference, we will map out some of the most pressing ethical implications and challenges facing the work of institutions today: Is it possible to balance being both an enlightenment project and a business without compromising either professional standards or financial accountability? How can the integrity of art be retained in the face of catering to the needs of private sponsors and the public? What is the role of communication and PR in this context? What constitutes good, respectful communication? What effect have these developments had on curation and the relationship to artists and their interests? Questions like these form the core of the conference, at which professionals from a range of disciplines from Denmark and abroad will offer their views and experiences as a basis to discuss what a new, contemporary code of ethics for the art institution might look like—and how it can be implemented in practice.

The conference series is organised by Overgaden’s curator Anna Holm and is supported by the Bikuben Foundation.

Speakers: Christine Buhl Andersen (Denmark), Dave Beech (UK), Alistair Brown (UK), Irene Campolmi (Denmark), Signe Meisner Christensen (Denmark), Ann Demeester (Belgium), Carsten Juhl (Denmark), Sonja Lavaert (Belgium), Elin Lundgren (Sweden), Bettina Pehrsson (Sweden), Angelo Romano & Linda Jensen (Switzerland), Julia Schäfer (Germany), Ben Street (UK), et al.