TALKING CHANGE
- Towards a sustainable art world
August 2021
the Syndicate of Creatures hosted a conference for the artist-run enviorement
Initiated as part of the Creative Europe project Artist-Run Network Europe (2020-2023)
The conference was integrated in Juxtapose Art Fair. An art fair for artist-run exhibition platforms, at Godsbanen, Aarhus 2021
Talking Change
-Towards a Sustainable Art world
The art world is an integrated part of global production. We know that it is time to give up old privileges, work for the environment, for social equity and to take responsibility by being co-creators of new sustainable structures. The artist-run sector is where we ourselves can generate change, within production, agency and ideology.
The panel will engage each other and the audience in a conversation based on experience and knowhow on organisational skills, resources and sustainability. We join to share concrete ideas to utopian perspectives on how we can develop our thinking, methods and artistic practice in the uncertain and very different future that lies ahead.
Keynote speaker: Åsa Sonjasdotter (SE)
Panel: Rikke Luther (DK), Anna Ganslandt (SE), Scott William Raby (US), Andreas Führer (DK), Jet Pascua (PH/SE) and Anna Walther (DK).
Moderator: Nanna Gro Henningsen (DK)
ABOUT Talking Change
According to the scientists we are hurtling towards a global suicide , if we don’t act fast. Ours is not a call to surrender – we know that the state of the planet very critical and therefore we call upon the artist-run sector to join in re-imagining possible new ways of working. We know that the art world is an integrated part of global production; we know that the spin-off from our work influences societies; We know that the artist-run sector is where we ourselves can generate a change, within ways of production and ideology; besides that, we know that it is time to give up old privileges, work for the environment, for social equity and take responsibility by being co-creators of new sustainable structures.
The invited panel will through conversation, contribute with their experience from the artist run sector – with concrete ideas as well as utopian perspectives on how we all can develop our thinking, methods and artistic practices in the uncertain and very different future that lays ahead.
We acknowledge that artist run projects are diverse and spring from very different needs and ideas. This richness of different experiences is vital since we do not know what –if anything– is going to produce an effect, we have to test all options with no guarantees. It is the most rational thing to do. Even making mistakes usually means gaining experience. This is the hopeful part of all the new movements around policies for a sustainable art world: ideally, people practice how to organize and act in common. The conference aims to share what different artist run projects have learned in their processes.
We believe that artist run projects are a huge resource in terms of mapping the political economy and social relations of contemporary art, consider the implications of algorithmic cultures and the posthuman condition, and discuss notions of solidarity, how to construct a new and inclusive “we” in the face of climate change.
Organizers: Signe Vad (DK) and Nanna Gro Henningsen (DK) from the Syndicate of Creatures.
The conference Talking Change - Towards a Sustainable Art World is initiated in collaboration with Juxtapose Art Fair. The project is tSoC's contribution to the Creative Europe Project; Artist-Run Network Europe.
www.tsoc.zone – www.juxtaposeartfair.com – www.artistrunnetworkeurope.eu
