This June, Kunstinstituut Melly hosted leaders of four international art organizations in Rotterdam for talks, trainings and network events as part of its Tools for Demodernizing initiative, dedicated to transformative, systemic, and sustainable change in arts institutions. The organizations were Artspace (Sydney), the Initiating Council for the Museum of Contemporary Art (ICMoCA) (Kosovo), Javett-UP (Pretoria), and Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín (MAMM) (Medellín).
Now, the network is proud to present its online chapbook with two dynamic events, one held in Paris and co-presented with the art center Palais de Tokyo, and the second one in Rotterdam, co-presented with the education program Blacker Blackness. The Tools for Demodernizing online chapbook compiles learnings of the June trainings.
Public programs
Palais de Tokyo
October 21, 6pm
In Paris, we are delighted to host a public program with three special guests: Naomi Beckwith (Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum), Elena Filipovic (Director of the Kunsthalle Basel) and artist Grace Ndiritu. Through courageous initiatives, rigorous scholarship, and lucid artistic vision, each guest holds unique perspectives upon how to think and practice alternative models to the modern aesthetic canon and the museum as its vehicle.
The event will include a Q&A moderated by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez (Cultural Programmes Manager at the Cité internationale des arts) with members of the Kunstinstituut Melly team. To reserve your place for this free event, please visit the event page on the Palais de Tokyo website.
Kunstinstituut Melly
November 10, 1–3pm (masterclass) and 6–8pm (keynote lecture)
In Rotterdam, the online chapbook will be launched with a keynote lecture and masterclass led by Professor Denise Ferreira da Silva. The event will be co-hosted by Ola Hassanain and Blacker Blackness, an education program initiated by Simone Zeefuik.
Click here to apply for the Masterclass.
Online chapbook
The Tools for Demodernizing online chapbook compiles learnings of the June trainings, which addressed the legacy of white cube institutions, questioned in the light of pressing issues regarding institutional engagement, social responsibility and in acknowledgment of colonial legacies. It includes reflections from each of the participants of the network: Alexie Glass, Michelle Newton, Yll Rugova, Erëmirë Krasniqi, Gabi Ngcobo, Elroy Fillis-Bell, Elisa Gutierrez, Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Rosa de Graaf, Jessy Koeiman, Julija Mockute, Vivian Ziherl, Shana Lewis, Simon Mensger, María Mercedes González, and Emiliano Valdés. Additionally, the chapbook includes reports by Indigenous broadcaster Daniel Browning and students from CUNY Graduate Center, Araceli Bremauntz-Enriquez and Miller Schulman. The online chapbook also includes an annotated bibliography.
About
Kunstinstituut Melly’s mission is to organize activities on the latest developments in contemporary art and theory. It creates exhibitions, publications, and educational programs of artistic merit and cultural significance. It also commissions new art, supports innovative research, and advocates for cultural partnerships. Kunstinstituut Melly welcomes audiences year-round in its +3,500m2 nineteenth-century building, located at 50 Witte de Withstraat in the Cool District of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Kunstinstituut Melly is supported by the City of Rotterdam and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science in The Netherlands. In 2023, support was also provided by grants from AMMODO, Hartwig Foundation, and Droom en Daad, among others. Project support is earned through fundraising activities, individual donations, and foundation grants. Tools for Demodernizing is supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
