05 Oct 2015

The Beast and is the Sovereign: Conference

CONFERENCE
October 17. + 18., 2015

With: Edit András, Daniel G. Andújar, Banu Cennetoglu, Hans D. Christ, Ines Doujak, Iris Dressler, Antke Engel, Martin Fritz, Itziar González, Max Jorge Hinderer Cruz, Philippine Hoegen, Paul B. Preciado, Valentín Roma, Simon Sheikh, Sergio Zevallos and others

At the premiere of the exhibition 'The Beast and the Sovereign' this March in Barcelona (now: 'The Beast and is the Sovereign', October 17, 2015–January 17, 2016, WKV Stuttgart) it came to an éclat. Just before the opening, the MACBA director at the time, Bartomeu Marí, decided that one of the artworks was not suitable for presentation in this museum and demanded that it be removed. The work in question was a sculpture by the Austrian artist Ines Doujak. Neither the curators, nor the artists participating in the exhibition were willing to tacitly accept this act of censorship. As a result, Marí chose to cancel the entire exhibition on the day of its opening. After a wave of protest on both local and international levels, the exhibition was opened to the public four days later after all. Marí announced his resignation. The two MACBA curators involved, Valentín Roma and Paul B. Preciado, were dismissed without notice.

Our experiences at MACBA sparked a whole series of questions that we would like to discuss in the scope of a conference: a discussion, which extends beyond this concrete case and which will relate to the exhibition's subject—dealing among other things with the modern institution. How far does the influence of politics and economics extend in impacting the program and content of public art institutions in Europe today? What role does the increasing commercialization and business structure of museums and art halls etc. play in the process? Must art take into account feelings of a religious, moral, and / or patriotic nature? Which working approach do we—as directors of art institutions, as curators or artists—want to take in the future?

PROGRAM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2015

1 p.m.
Introduction
Iris Dressler / Hans D. Christ
Directors of the WKV Stuttgart

1:45 p.m.
PERFORMANCE + PANEL
About Cultural Politics in Barcelona
Daniel G. Andújar (artist, Barcelona), Itziar González (architect and activist, Barcelona), Valentín Roma, Paul B. Preciado (co-curators „The Beast and is the Sovereign') and others

3 p.m.
LECTURE
About the Sculpture 'Not Dressed for Conquering'
Ines Doujak (Vienna)
Artist

3:45 p.m.
LECTURE
Art, Ideology, and Structural Censorship
Max Jorge Hinderer Cruz (São Paulo / Berlin)
Writer, editor, cultural theorist

4:45 p.m.
LECTURE
Simon Sheikh (London / Berlin)
Writer, researcher, curator

5:30 p.m.
LECTURE
Revolution On and Off. The Hungarian Patient
Edit András (Budapest)
Art historian and critic

6:30 p.m.
LECTURE
Contracts, Conflicts, Censorship
Martin Fritz (Vienna)
Curator, writer, consultant

7:15 p.m.
OPEN PANEL
How Do We Want to Work?
Banu Cennetoglu (artist, Istanbul), Iris Dressler, Philippine Hoegen (artist, Amsterdam), Sergio Zevallos (artists, Berlin) and others

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2015

11 a.m.
Exhibition tour with the artists

12:30 p.m.
LECTURE
About the Beast and the Sovereign
Paul B. Preciado (Athens)
Theoretician, curator of the public program of Documenta 14

1:15 p.m.
LECTURE
The Speech Act [et/est] the Sexual Act
Antke Engel (Berlin)
Philosopher, director of the Institute for Queer Theory in Berlin

2:30 p.m.
Summary, Final Discussion, collection of statements etc.

FURTHER INFORMATION
www.wkv-stuttgart.de/en/program/2015/exhibitions/the-beast-and-is-the-sovereign/conference