The discussion is part of The European Match. Controversies and Encounters
A series of talks hosted by ERSTE Foundation
Can art change society? Should art save the world? Does art always have a social mission? Or is art merely about aesthetics? Are artists political actors? Does art come into play when politics fail, and why? How can culture address burning social issues and problems? How can cultural policies enable critical cultural production? How do local independent off-scenes offer a vital alternative to the local state-run art and culture infrastructures? How do economic and political circumstances influence and limit critical cultural production? How can contemporary art and culture contribute to the development of civil society?
This debate brings together internationally renowned experts in order to discuss socio-political topics and burning issues dealing with the future of Europe, such as the topic of contemporary cultural production and the role and involvement of civil society.
The event will be held in English and the entry is free, please register: http://www.erstestiftung.org/event-registration/the-european-match/#Register
Panel:
Barnabás Bencsik, freelance curator and lecturer based in Budapest, founder and head of the Agency for Contemporary Art Exchange (ACAX), contributes with the perspective of a freelancer and a key-player of the Hungarian contemporary art scene since the early 1990s
Anna-Mária Bíró, president and CEO of the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest, brings in the perspective of an independent human and minority rights organisation from Hungary
Michael Thoss, director of the Allianz Cultural Foundation, Berlin, represents the perspective of a major private philanthropic and cultural foundation
Milica Tomi?, artist and professor for contemporary art, IZK Institute for Contemporary Art, Faculty of Architecture, Graz University of Technology, will speak about her individual and collaborative artistic practices
Katherine Watson, director of the European Cultural Foundation, Amsterdam, brings in a broader European perspective
Moderation:
Georg Schöllhammer, curator, writer and editor, director of tranzit.at, Vienna