Art Institutions in the Age of Existential Risks. What to Do?
Colour-distorted photo of a flooded street. A street sign with a running person on it rises out of the water. The building in the background reads "Museum of Art".
International Conference
Thu, 28.10.2021, 6–8.30 pm and Fri, 29.10.2021, 2–7.30 pm, Conference
Online
Language: English

The event via live stream

The future of cultural institutions – nothing less will be discussed together with top-class guests at this online conference in the ZKM Livestream.

Day 1 – With Max Hollein and Sonia Lawson

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Day 2 – With Irini Mirena Papadimitriou, Ille Gebeshuber, Parag Khanna, Laura Raicovich and Siegfried Zielinski

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We live in critical times. Whether pandemics, environmental and climate crises, social inequalities, or conflict- and disaster-induced displacement: humanity is heading towards an uncertain future in which it is exposed to existential risks. What essential role could art and culture play in discussing, reshaping and overcoming such crises? The art scene in transition functions as a mirror of social changes such as coming to terms with colonization, sexism, racism, xenophobia, the discrimination of minorities and other socially relevant issues.

The conference »Art Institutions in the Age of Existential Risks – What to do?« brings together experts from the arts, academia and society to outline the diversity of demands and perspectives arising from global risks for cultural institutions. Where exactly do cultural institutions stand in these new global challenges? Does culture need a renaissance? And conversely, what happens when such crises threaten the very existence of cultural institutions?

The conference will be held in English.

 

Program

 

Thursday, October 28 | Time Zone: CEST, schedule subject to change

6.00 pm                        

Welcome

Petra Olschowski (State Secretary, Baden Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts), Frank Mentrup (Lord Mayor of the City of Karlsruhe)

6.15 pm            

Introduction to the Program

Peter Weibel (Artistic-Scientific Director, ZKM | Karlsruhe)

6.30 pm            

Universal Museums and the Challenges of Our Time

Max Hollein (Marina Kellen French Director, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City)

7.30 pm            

Culture and Biodiversity in West Africa

Sonia Lawson (Founding Director, Palais de Lomé Art and Nature Center, Togo)

 

Friday, October 29 | Time Zone: CEST, schedule subject to change

2.30 pm            

Rapid Response: Art at Times of Crises

Irini Mirena Papadimitriou (Creative Director, Curator at Future Everything, London)
3.05 pm            

»We meant well…«
Our Tragedy in Times of Triumph

Ille Gebeshuber (Physicist, Technical University Vienna)
4.10 pm            Break
4.40 pm            

cARTography -- Maps, Culture, and Future of Humanity

Parag Khanna (Founder and Managing Partner of FutureMap. Pte Ltd, Singapore)
5.35 pm            

The Neutrality Problem

Laura Raicovich (Writer and Curator, New York City)
6.10 pm            

Surprise Generators

A Foresight

Siegfried Zielinski (Professor of Archaeology & Variantology of Arts & Media, Berlin)
7.15 pm            

Conclusion and Impulse

Vera Sacchetti (Design Critic and Curator, Basel)

 

Moderation: Vera Sacchetti

With: Max Hollein (Marina Kellen French Director, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City), Ille Gebeshuber (Physicist, Technical University Vienna), Sonia Lawson (Founding Director, Palais de Lomé Art and Nature Center, Togo), Irini Mirena Papadimitriou (Creative Director, Curator at Future Everything, London), Laura Raicovich (Writer and Curator, New York City), Parag Khanna (Founder and Managing Partner of FutureMap. Pte Ltd, Singapore), Peter Weibel (Artistic-Scientific Director, ZKM | Karlsruhe) and Siegfried Zielinski (Professor of Archaeology & Variantology of Arts & Media, Berlin)

Website
The event via live stream
Impressum


Concept 
Peter Weibel & Siegfried Zielinski with Hannah Jung, Jessica Menger & Philipp Ziegler 

Coordination
Jessica Menger, Hannah Jung

Moderation
Vera Sacchetti

Video studio
Andy Koch, Peter Müller

Graphic design  
2xGoldstein

Communication
Lena Becker, Alina Kehl, Lena Schneider, Emma Teuscher

Organization / Institution
ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe