Invoking multiple histories of conversation, which have taken place around kitchen tables the world over, the residents at Artport invite you to join us for an evening of drinks, soup and discussion about the desire to think of art as a useful tool vs. the autonomy of art.

Art is usually squeezed between two opposite expectations: to be free on the one hand and socially relevant on the other. In this kitchenette, we will propose conflictual aesthetics, one that helps crossing this binary. Embarking from the painting of the Louvre in ruins we will touch upon historic and current uses of the museum and the role of the artist in the service of existing power or upcoming struggle. If the museum is a place of sleeping conflicts, the question will be how to kiss the struggle awake.

The evening’s speakers:

Oliver Marchart, Professor of Sociology of Art, Düsseldorf Art Academy

Nora Sternfeld, Professor for Curating and Mediating Art, Aalto University, Helsinki

Dana Yahalomi, Director of Public Movement

The discussion will be held in English