Multicultural Arts Victoria的动态

Design thinking and the arts in policy can create a space for reflection, visual engagement and bring out the human element in policy systems. See the new evaluation of PolicyLab's art in policy programme. #designthinking #policy #policylab

MY PUBLIC STAGE ?"My Public Stage" is not merely an artistic practice; it is a dynamic fusion of performance art and civic engagement that transcends conventional boundaries. At its core, this practice navigates the intricate relationship between the artist and the public sphere, offering an unconventional perspective on how art can reshape our understanding of the world.? The essential aspect of this artistic journey lies in the intentional placement of artistic interventions and performances within public spaces, where the encounter with viewers is not a predetermined spectacle but a meeting. This deliberate approach seeks to dissolve the traditional separation between the artist and the individual, fostering a unique connection that is spontaneous and genuine.? I view public space as not only a material but also a social environment that is produced, reshaped and restructured by the citizens through their experiences, their intentions for action and the relations they develop in it. My project draws on Lefebvre’s (2019) approach to urban public space not as a neutral container of social life, but as a socially constructed entity? produced by social practice. Lefebvre’s approach confirms and expands my view that public space is not a given but requires a conscious effort to claim it.?

Evaluation in the arts is a topic that gets us culture folks riled up. What are the results of an artistic experience? For many, this question subjects our most precious and indescribable experiences to crude, invasive, belittling, and demoralizing descriptions as we try and find language and metrics to capture them. Evaluation, we worry, is inevitably reductive, limiting something that carries us beyond language and numbers to crude categories of value. However, an increasing number of arts leaders well-aware of these risks are growing convinced that the risks of NOT evaluating, of not learning to build metrics and language for impact and value, outweigh the risks of doing so. That in today's funding climate, we need the means to participate more effectively in comparative conversations about the public good. Otherwise, the ineffable becomes the invisible, as the public imagination grows more diverse in its sense of intrinsic values, and beliefs about the inherent public benefit of the arts are not as widely shared as we might think or hope. Jumping into discussion with me on this critical topic was my valued colleague Robin Sokoloski at Mass Culture. https://lnkd.in/gdhAJqBE

We explore curatorial projects that give voice to communities that have been disfranchised by the ideology of neo-liberalism. Defining contemporary art galleries as public spheres, curatorial projects that are based in dialogue and dialogics reveal the conflicting and contradictory aspects of dominant cultural narratives. Through collaborative and participatory methods, progressive we co-create artworks with communities, creating alternatives to the traditional gallery system in which artists, artworks, audiences and institutions are abstracted from the world around them. With a focus on the work of artists Carole Condé and Karl Beveridge, and their collaborations with individuals representing various communities – labour organizations, activist groups, cultural groups and the art world – insurgent curating is defined in terms of dialogue-based activism. Dialogue-based projects are championed as ways to catalyse emancipatory insights and the critique of neo-liberal capitalism.

Just received my copy of Aeffect, by Stephen Duncombe. "The past decade has seen an explosion in the hybrid practice of “artistic activism,” as artists have turned toward activism to make their work more socially impactful and activists have adopted techniques and perspectives from the arts to make their interventions more creative. Yet questions haunt the practice: Does artistic activism work aesthetically? Does it work politically? And what does “working” even mean when one combines art and activism? In??ffect, author Stephen Duncombe sets out to address these questions at the heart of the field of artistic activism. Written by the co-founder and current Research Director of the internationally recognized Center for Artistic Activism,??ffect?draws on Duncombe’s more than twenty-five years of experi-ence in the field and one hundred in-depth interviews with artistic activists worldwide. More than a mere academic exercise, the theory, research, and tools in this book lay the groundwork for artistic activists to evaluate and strengthen their practice and to create better projects." https://lnkd.in/e6_ixaBB

In case you missed my book with Erwin Dekker on the values of art and cultural civil society, here is a little refresher!

In which I explore Australian rural arts practices and NZ appropriative potential.

Art exists within the political and societal conditioning that it is being produced in. Art is, therefore, a product of, and an impact on, society. When engaging with art, as a creator, artivist, or consumer it is important to engage with social-cultural history operating in the back of our mind. Looking at art in the context of larger political and societal histories helps us to think critically about the kind of artists we want to be, and how to divest our creative practices from hegemonic ways of being. With that being said, we offer to you this non-exhaustive reading list for politicizing your artistic practice.

Writing in today's Arts Professional about the work of Freedom in the Arts; "If artists are silenced, we risk losing a generation of talent, as well as deterring new, unique voices from joining the profession. We must avoid realising a conformist arts sector, where beliefs may be policed by colleagues or bureaucracies. To reflect the breadth of artistic talent in the UK, FITA aims to a support the arts to properly commit to artistic freedom with the mechanisms and confidence to actively protect it." "We need to nurture excellence, which takes time and effort, and look for more than just the Instagram slogan of the week. We can respect our artistic history while responding to the present. Finally, could we please stop posturing, stop pretending, stop being empathic and earnest and try instead to embody values of discipline, integrity and impartiality. "Instead of safe spaces, let us now have brave spaces." https://lnkd.in/eb5jtyZM

Penguins are white, black, and yellow – so why are the people watching them not? ?? ?? ?? ?? Strolling through Frieze London this year, one has to wonder: does the crowd reflect the diversity of this city where we live? ?? Art is a universal language meant to connect us all – so what keeps the audience so ?????????? ???????????? ??????????, with an admirable recent addition of Chinese diaspora. Where are the working class and multiple ethnic communities that make London? Are they only responsible to set up the tent, make coffee & clean the loos? ?? Don't get me wrong, there have been some important steps toward increased diversity in art over past decades: ?? Arts Council England’s ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????????????? promotes inclusivity for broader representation across backgrounds ?? Trusts & foundations have ramped up support for marginalised voices, like this programe funded by Freelands Foundation - https://lnkd.in/eFUeFNMn ?? Places like my own Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) have worked tirelessly to amplify such perspectives - https://iniva.org/ ?? Admirable work up & down the country, even on BBC with a show like ???????????? ????????, makes arts & craft more rooted in communities, less velvet rope-y. So, despite progress, what keeps "mainstream art" from reaching ethnic & class diversity of London, England, UK, Europe, indeed the World? ?? Is it about representation & relevance? Most archives & collections are built on colonial legacies; this ???????????? ???????????????? perspectives does feel distant to so many, here & now. ?? ?? Which brought me to the penguins in Benedikte Bjerre’s showstopping installation. Bjerre, the Danish artist & professor at Det Jyske Kunstakademi has created a work as playful as it is profound – easily the most popular this year! It gets us all laughing, taking & sharing pics & vids ???? ?? Her work shows how art—even about gloomy topics like climate change—can be inviting & engaging, not preachy or overwhelming. ???? ?? Can this approach bring a wider audience into the fold? ?? Less serious, but more meaningful? ?? Playful & engaging, to break down barriers? ?? Creating spaces where ???????????????? feels at home? As the art world internalises & evolves beyond ?????????? ?????????? ????????????, we could certainly benefit from some tough questions. As Fela Kuti once sang, “Water has no Enemy.” ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ????????????????????, ?????????? ????????????????? ????? And, if you are in London this Sunday, consider visiting Regent’s Park for the last day of Frieze? My top tips ?? Sculpture garden (no ticket necessary): works of 22 sculptors from across 5 continents ?? Penguins (Section A, left of main entrance): Short video below ?? Iniva (Section D, just past the Gail café): showcasing our work from 30 years with UK's great diaspora artists #Art #Frieze #London #Iniva