IV simposio internacional de teoría sobre arte contemporáneo
4th international symposium on contemporary art theory
Ephemeral, yet permanent and lasting
Francisco de Quevedo
Myths of permanence and the ephemeral
The Fourth International Symposium on Contemporary Art Theory (SITAC), entitled Myths of Permanence and the Ephemeral, seeks to provide an analysis and critique about the various ways through which the use of the notion of “history” influences contemporary art practice. The presentations and discussions will focus on three fundamental aspects of the relationship between history and contemporary art, such as the way in which we envision, trace and produce texts about the history of recent art production; the current variables that modify our understanding and assimilation of history (such as a historical self-awareness and the production of ephemeral art); and the way in which history is shaped by economic and political forces that favour certain views about art.
These series of presentations and discussions will seek to trace the paradoxes faced by the art historical practice when it seeks to capture and interpret contemporary art in its permanent flux and fragmentation. The forum will also address the subject of multiple art histories, their endurance as valid narratives, and the ways through which these become the object of revisions.
Our understanding
and appreciation of history (be it national, personal, or universal)
as artists, curators, critics and art viewing audience, is complex and
critical in our process of relating to the art of our time.
It is this understanding that informs a wide range of attitudes about
art and also influences art policy, economics, social and political
thought.
Whereas history
may be seen either as a lineal or multi-lineal narrative, and whether
it is constructed through descriptions of movements, groups, phases
or “isms”, it is impossible to bypass the need of a historical
narrative of a certain nature, and to try to escape our own placement
within that history.
The understanding of the processes through which we make, interpret,
remake and reinterpret history is vital to understand the very process
of art making and the ongoing construction of our identity as a society.
The forum will include interspersed conversations with prominent artists whose work address some of the issues being discussed.
Schedule:
biografías
de los participantes
Thursday, January 20th
Regarding the Chronicle of our Instant
This section is dedicated to analyse the processes and idiosyncrasies of the art history practice in what it relates to contemporary art; its relationship to journalism, art criticism and media in general, its theoretical and practical aspects, and the challenges faced by revisionist history as well as by the writing of recent history.
10h - 11h First Conversation: Shirin Neshat with Pablo Helguera
11h - 14h From the Media towards History: Zones of Contention
This panel addresses
the role of criticism, media, and the relationship between local art history
and the larger process of validation of a certain artistic context.
The process of writing contemporary art history is aided by the chronicle,
the art review, and the exhibition essay, amongst others. However, what
are the steps taken to interpret day-to-day criticism and turn it into
history? What kind of influence does international media have in the making
of a local art history? And, what happens when we try to write the history
of a particular region and period when there has been little or no criticism
or media documentation of the movements, artists and tendencies in general?
What kind of impact do external interpretations have over a local art
scene?
Lecturers:
Thierry de Duve. Art historian and theorist of Contemporary Art, University
of Lille
Cuauhtemoc Medina. Associate Curator for Latin American Art, Tate Collections,
U.K. Scholar. IIE. UNAM. Mexico
14h - 1530h Lunch
1530h - 1730h History in the Light of Contemporary Art
When do we start to
write the history of contemporary art? How does this process unfold, and
what are the factors that contribute to translate a series of events or
tendencies into history? This panel will address the ways through which
we acquire historical vantage points of our time, as well as the way in
which new readings and revisions -or omissions- of immediate history can
transform our perspectives.
Due to the constant changing of its discourse and areas of interest, contemporary
art- making demands the equal renovation of the art historian in order
to provide adequate interpretations and descriptions. This panel will
discuss the kind of theoretical tools that contemporary art history should
have, including new methods of interpretation, analysis and criticism
outside of the conventional strategies of the art history discipline.
What kind of parameters and methods are used as we build preliminary histories?
When are they useful, and when do they become obstacles? The panel will
also debate the contrasts between writing modern and contemporary art
history today.
Lecturers:
RoseLee Goldberg. Author, Art historian and Critic
Serge
Guilbaut. Professor of Art History at the University of British Columbia,
Vancouver
Donald Kuspit. Art Critic and Historian, USA
Friday, January 21st
Intersections: History and some of its Denominators
This section analyses the ways through which history is present in contemporary art outside of the conventional art history practice, ranging from the art making process to the influence of the art market.
11h - 13h History and Artists: from Challenge to Assimilation
Some topics in this panel will include: 1) the extreme historical self-consciousness of artists as individuals and its impact on art making (self-historicity, building of personal myths); 2) the rebelliousness of certain artists to be categorised in art history or to let their art enter into a historical canon (ex. ephemeral art); 3) the relationship between the document and the artistic action; 4) history as a politicised tool in the process of art making (ex. artists who assume the very role as historian, chronicler, documentary maker, or simply commenting a past or present history in order to make a political or social statement); 5) the relationship between self-made history and marketing, and their ramifications (history as a promotional tool).
Lecturers:
Alex Alberro. Associate Professor of Art History at the University of
Florida, USA.
Roger Buergel. Director of Documenta XII, Kassel
Alison Gingeras. Independent Curator and Critic based in Paris and New
York
13h - 14h Second Conversation: Hans Haacke with Pablo Helguera
14 - 1530h Lunch
1530h - 1730h History vs. Histories (part 1: Contested Terrain's)
What is the role played
by marketing in the insertion of artists, groups, or movements in art
history? Where and when does business intersect with art history, and
how does one
affect the other? How can the promotion of a certain art history be part
of a government's agenda? What is the role played by collectors in the
elaboration of a given art history? This panel studies the relationship
between contemporary art and the economic processes in the art world that
influence art history in one way or another.
Lecturers:
Dawn Ades. Professor of Art History and Theory, University of Essex, UK.
Tania Bruguera. Artist, Cuba.
Massimiliano Gioni. Artistic Director, Nicola
Trussardi Foundation, Milan
Saturday, January 22nd
11h - 12h Third Conversation: Marina Abramovic with RoseLee Goldberg
12h - 15h History vs. Histories (part 2: art history and politics)
This panel debates the political nature of history in its various manifestations such as: the tension between local and marginal histories, and their validation against a hegemonic or supposed "unified" art history; the political agenda as an influence of the historical "drama" of art (the monument or memorial, the museum, the "official" history vs. the "alternative" history, the historical myth), and the way in which artists and other key players in the art world challenge any given historical perceptions. The panel will also debate and propose historical models and steps that should be taken to create yet unwritten art histories of particular times and places.
Lecturers:
Robert Storr. Artist and Independent Curator, USA
Paulo Herkenhoff. Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro.
