Klartext Konferenz. Berlin, 14-16.01.2005

[ conferenza organizzata in questi giorni a Berlino da Marina Sorbello 
e Antje Weitzel. /m ]

Klartext Konferenz
The status of the political in contemporary art and culture


http://www.klartext-konferenz.net

Klartext! means "straight talk" in German. The international conference 
Klartext! The Status of the Political in Contemporary Art and Culture 
will be taking place for a three day period —January 14th, 15th and 
16th, 2005—at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien and the theatre Volksbühne am 
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin. The project, initiated by Berlin-based 
independent curators Marina Sorbello and Antje Weitzel, is funded by 
the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. The aim of this conference is to explore the 
current use—and sometimes misuse—of the category "Political" as applied 
to contemporary art and culture. Especially since September 11th and 
Documenta 11 in Kassel, one comes across the claim that art is becoming 
increasingly politicised or re-politicised; that political questions 
have returned to culture and contemporary art. In a variety of ways—and 
with a variety of results—current exhibition projects and publications 
are taking this thesis into consideration. Is it just a new trend? Such 
approaches tend on the whole to neglect the inherent questions that 
necessarily attend such a proposal and take for granted an implicit 
understanding of the terms art and politics, of their social functions 
and effects.

The conference brings together in Berlin international artists, 
activists, curators, workers in the cultural sector and theoreticians 
to discuss the relationship between art and politics, and provides a 
platform and context for the exchange of thoughts, strategies and 
approaches. "Klartext!" is also an exhortation to the participants and 
the audience to engage in the analysis of the mentioned themes and 
issues. Are we really dealing with the politicisation of art or is it 
more a matter of an ‘aestheticisation’ of political themes and 
contents? How influential is art? What is activism today, and how does 
the interchange between art and activism function? Does it make any 
sense to use art as a means to articulate social and political 
concerns? What manifestations should this kind of art assume? And in 
what context can it be effective?

 Concept and organization:
 Marina Sorbello and Antje Weitzel

 In cooperation with:
 Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin

 Funded by:
 Hauptstadtkulturfonds, Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung

 Supported by:
 British Council, Embassy of Spain, Embassy of France, Elakustik GmbH, 
ESTA Hotel, Echoo, Magna Pasta

 Partners:
Globale 05, interflugs/UdK Berlin, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, NGBK, 
Sparwasser HQ, Uqbar e.V.

 Media partners:
The Art Newspaper, Ex Berliner, Freitag, Jungle World, Le Monde 
Diplomatique, die tageszeitung, Zitty

 Klartext! Timetable

The conference is organized into a series of dialogues and panel 
discussions.

On January 14th, after a series of short introductory speeches, Marius 
Babias and Brian Holmes will deliver two opening statements that will 
provide the tools, questions and ideas for the debate.

Saturday, January 15th, will be dedicated to various artistic practices 
and strategies (among the participants are Bernadette Corporation, New 
York/Paris/Berlin; Chto Delat?, St. Petersburg; Anita Di Bianco, New 
York; Grupo de Arte Callejero, Buenos Aires; Jakob Jakobsen, 
Copenhagen; Hans Haacke, New York; Deborah Kelly, Sydney; Francesco 
Jodice/Multiplicity, Milan; Fiambrera Obrera/Yo Mango, Madrid; Oliver 
Ressler, Vienna; Paola Yacoub/Michel Lasserre (Paris/Berlin); Yes Men 
(New York). On January 16th there will be a panel discussion concerning 
the representation and presentation of artistic-political practices and 
political themes in both contemporary art exhibitions and other 
cultural fields. In this discussion, international exhibition 
organizers and representatives of various institutions will present 
recent exhibition projects, focusing on their respective current 
exhibition policies (choice of the exhibition themes, financial issues 
and dependency relationship with the sponsors, reception and 
involvement of the public, methods of presentation). Among the 
participants are Catherine David (Paris/Rotterdam), Maria Lind 
(Stockholm), Shaheen Merali (Berlin), Nina Möntmann (Helsinki/Hamburg), 
Marion von Osten (Zurich).

Another panel discussion is devoted to the analysis of both the various 
artistic-political approaches and strategies and the political 
understanding of the media and of exhibition curating. The 
participants—including Jordi Claramonte (Madrid), B+B (London), 
Christoph Tannert (Berlin)—will also confront the current trend of 
political contents in contemporary art exhibitions and cultural events 
and analyse whether nowadays the aesthetic and language of the classic 
political engagement can still be efficient and appropriate or whether, 
on the contrary, they have become a commodity, fitting into a precise 
style requested by the market.

The last panel discussion, funded by the Bundeszentrale für Politische 
Bildung, will take place in the evening of January 16th at the theatre 
Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, with experts from the fields of 
politics, sociology, philosophy and cultural studies. The 
participants—Roger M. Buergel (Vienna/Kassel), Holger Kube Ventura 
(Halle), Chantal Mouffe (London), Jacques Rancière (Paris), Susanne von 
Falkenhausen (Berlin), Boris Buden (London)—will express their views 
and theories on where to locate the artistic-political practices and 
art in general in a coordinate system that contains contradictions.

Klartext! Workshops
With Fiambrera Obrera/Yo Mango (Madrid), Deborah Kelly (Sydney), Yes 
Men (New York), Chto Delat (St.Petersburg), Grupo del Arte Callejero 
(Buenos   Aires)
January 17th – 20th, 2005, 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Kuenstlerhaus Bethanien, Kunstamt Kreuzberg/Bethanien, 
interflugs/Universität der Künste Berlin
Participation in the workshops is free of charge.


----

Programme
changes may occur

Friday, January 14th, 2005

6.00 - 10.00 p.m.

Studio 1, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin


 Opening

 Statements/Discussions

 a.o. with Marius Babias Berlin
 Susanne von Falkenhausen Berlin
 Hans Haacke New York
 Brian Holmes Paris

 Saturday, January 15th, 2005

12.00 a.m. – 10.00 pm

Studio 1, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

 Overview of current artistic-political strategies

 Talks/Discussions
 a.o. with Inke Arns Berlin
 Jochen Becker Berlin
 Sezgin Boynik Prizren
 Bernadette Corporation Paris/New York/Berlin
 Fulvia Carnevale Paris
 Chto delat? - A newspaper for engaged creativity St. Petersburg/Moscow
 Grupo de Arte Callejero (Mariana Corral, Rafael Leona) Buenos Aires
 Francesco Jodice/Multiplicity Mailand
 Deborah Kelly, Künstlerin  Sydney
 Uli Kremeier Berlin
 Oliver Ressler Berlin
 Paola Yacoub Michel Lassere Berlin
 Yes Men New York


Evening, 8.00 p.m.



Precarious Producers

 Panel discussion
 a.o. with Alex Foti, Chainworkers Mailand, Jakob Jakobsen, Young 
artists and art-workers union Dänemark u.a., Moderated by Dr. Ilaria 
Vanni, University of Technology Sydney

 Sunday, January 16th, 2005

2.00 – 6.30 p.m.

 Studio 1, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

 Representation – Artistic-Political Practice and Political Themes in 
Contemporary Exhibition Practices and Cultural Management

Panel discussion
 a.o. with Catherine David Rotterdam/Paris
 Maria Lind Stockholms
 Nina Möntmann Helsinki/Hamburg
 Marion von Osten Berlin/Zürich
 Shaheen Merali  Berlin


 Attitude or conviction?

 Panel discussion
 a.o. with Jordi Claramonte, Fiambrera Obrera/Yomango Madrid
 Claudia Wahjudi Berlin
 B & B (Sarah Carrington und Sophie Hope) London
 moderated by Christoph Tannert Berlin


Evening, 8.00 pm

Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin

Artists and cultural producers as political subjects. Opposition, 
intervention, participation, emancipation in times of neoliberal 
globalization

 Panel discussion
 with Chantal Mouffe London
 Jacques Rancière Paris
 Roger M. Buergel Wien/Kassel
 Irit Rogoff London
 Holger Kube Ventura Halle
 moderated by Boris Buden London


All discussions are free and open to the public. There will be a small 
fee for the evening event on 16.01.2005 at Volksbühne am 
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Conference languages are English and German.