Discussion Series

On Aesthetics and Agendas

Cultural Politics in Times of Transition

#1 Discussion May 29th How well do Art & Resistance sell?

The main focus of the discussion will center on the question of visions and interests, of agendas and expectations: which roles do art and culture play during states of transition? What are the different agendas and perspectives behind it? How is the mushrooming of culture-and-art-events on the Arab Spring to be evaluated? Is the overall interest on graffiti and street art a sign of interest and importance, or is it a modernity-scale applied to by the global north? Does the immediate translation of art of resistance into cultural productions empty the significance of the art itself?

Since the beginnings of the ongoing revolutionary movements in the Arab world two years ago, cultural productions and projects from the Middle East have garnered much public interest in western art capitals such as London, Paris, New York and Berlin. Furthermore, many cultural projects in the Arab World itself were implemented through international funding initiatives and foreign cultural institutions, such as the Goethe Institute or the British Council.

Discussants:

/ Bassem Youssri

/ Zainab Magdy

/ Mona Abaza

// Moderation: Mohamed El Shahid

Concept: Ilka Eickhof

The language of communication is English. Translation into Arabic will be provided.