Experimental Institutionalism: Contemporary Art and Curatorial Ecologies
What are the current and future models shaping contemporary art and curatorial practice, thinking, and ecologies? ACCA asked an international cohort of creative thinkers, and their responses form this series of lively discussions and lectures that position art, curating, institutions and initiatives in dialogue with the forces at play in wider contemporary social, economic, technological, environmental and political contexts.
Taking the form of short talks and conversational discussions, ACCA’s 2021 lecture series encompasses seven sessions which are now available as videos and podcasts via the links below.
Exchange: Reciprocity and Institutional Collaboration
Expanding on ideas explored in his recent book the Museums of the Commons: L’Internationale and the Crisis of Europe, Professor Nikos Papasterdiadis discusses the ways in which institutions engage with local communities in a time of economic precarity and climate emergency, whilst New York-based writer and curator Laura Raicovich reflects on ideas of care, the opportunity to make radical social change in our present moment and how we might use cultural spaces as sites of civic life and social transformation, all of which informed her book, Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest.
Education: Alternatives and the Academy
Reflecting on art education in Thailand and Australia and different models of learning with and through art, within and outside institutions, Gridthiya Gaweewong, Artistic Director of Bangkok’s Jim Thompson Art Center, examines the changing modes of “alternative” education in the arts and in writing art history particularly in Southeast Asia. Artist Emily Floyd draws on her own practice to considers the role of the artist, and the concept of “Loose Objects” as experimental pedagogical models for child-centred learning.
Expanded: Collectivity and solidarity in changing times
Jakarta-based artist collective and artistic director of Documenta 15, ruangrupa comes together with Adelaide-based Unbound Collective in a dynamic discussion on collaboration and practicing solidarity through periods of social injustice. Ruangrupa reflects on their journey over the past two decades and in the lead up to Documenta 15, whilst the Unbound Collective discuss notions of community, responsibility, and the impossibilities of individualism.
Employment: Art, labour and changing modes of working
Australian art lawyer and curator Alana Kushnir explores the future of the arts work force in light of recent and rapid technological advancements, the reduction of traditional streams of revenue, and the need for new legal structures to support artists and institutions working in collaborative and cross-disciplinary modes. e-flux co-director Julieta Aranda argues that the first vital step to generate a viable future for the arts ecologies is to recognise the toxic environments of industrial capitalism in which we work.
Electronic: Modelling the digital present and tools for the future
ACMI Chief Experience Officer Seb Chan and Mumbai-based artist Sahej Rahal explore the possibilities and challenges of technology and the digital through institutional and artistic lenses. Chan’s presentation examines the hybrid initiatives that have been integrated into the museum experience following ACMI’s re-opening in 2021 whilst Rahal shares his insights on the ways in which AI, science fiction and mythology comes together in his works.
Ecological: Practices and the challenge of sustainability
José Roca, Artistic Director of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney, and artist Keg de Souza examine and imagine a more sustainable future for the arts. Roca explores his curatorial considerations and some of the challenges faced in developing a more sustainable Biennale model, whilst de Souza discusses the importance of community, place and collaboration in relation to her recent work Not a drop to drink 2021.
Experimental institutionalism: Rethinking infrastructures and curatorial practice
Curator and researcher Biljana Ciric discusses her educational platform What Could/Should Curating Do? and long-term project As you go… the roads under your feet, towards a new future as experimental models for cross-cultural collaborations. Writer and curator iLiana Fokianaki shares her curatorial journey in establishing the non-profit gallery ‘The State of Concept’ in Athens and her interdisciplinary program The Bureau of Care. Ciric and Fokianaki also reflect on the future of art institutions and the responsibility of curators and arts workers in these changing times.
