viennacontemporary 2019 | Dialogues

Talk Next? | Booth D32

Next? is a series of conversations and discussions that take our current art world(s) as their point of departure and, with critical skepticism as well as hope, look ahead to the possible futures of art. What will art’s producers and audiences want from contemporary art in the foreseeable future? What is a mega exhibition for? Can art achieve more equality in all areas? And if so, how? As part of viennacontemporary’s daily program, critic/journalist Kimberly Bradley has assembled artists, museum directors, dealers, critics, and curators to speculate about the possibilities of art — in Vienna and far beyond.

Friday, 27 September 2019

4:00–5:00 pm | Talks: Next?

The long view: The future of art

The structures of contemporary art are rapidly shifting alongside those in the world at large. What might be in store for art, based on current tendencies? More importantly, what might art-world practitioners and audiences want from future art, considering political issues, power hierarchies, and the attention economy? Taking writer Ben Davis’s short essay “Three Tendencies of Future Art” as a point of departure, Davis and the other panelists discuss how art production, discourse, modes of exhibition, institutions, and the market might evolve over the next decades.

Rahel Aima, writer/critic, New York/Dubai Touria El Glaoui, founder of the I-54 art fair, London/Marrakech Ben Davis, writer/critic, New York

5:30–6:30 pm | Talks: Next?

Art world/real world: Can art find a way to effect change?

The art/politics dichotomy pits reality (or “reality”) against representation, but what happens when art and politics do manage to intersect and interact? Can artists, exhibition makers, curators, or other mediators bridge the gap between art and politics, as so many are currently attempting, or must the roles of art worker and citizen, of artist and activist remain separate? Our panelists discuss the potentials of action within the cultural sphere based on past and ongoing efforts.

Gerrit Gohlke, New Patrons, Berlin Ekaterina Degot, director, Steierischer Herbst, Graz Tevž Logar, curator, Ljubljana

Saturday, 28 September 2019

2:30–3:30 pm | Talks: Next?

Next gen: Potentials in Vienna’s art scene

The past several years have seen multiple shifts in Vienna’s local art world - the openings of new galleries, the closures of several mid-size exhibition venues, a new city culture councilor, and this year, new leadership at the Kunsthalle, the art academy, and this very art fair. With novel impulses, excellent art education, and funding, what can – or should – Vienna strive for in the contemporary art field? What discourses would Vienna’s art scene want or need to tackle? Can contemporary art compete with better-funded fields, like music? An exploration of obstacles and possibilities.

Johann König, gallerist, Berlin Moritz Stipsicz, cofounder, Phileas, Vienna Luisa Ziaja, curator, Belvedere 21, Vienna

4:00–5:00 pm | Talks: Next?

Rethinking the Biennale: The future of the mega exhibition

The art biennial first emerged in Venice in 1895 and was based on the nineteenth-century model of the World Expo, but it wasn’t until the 1990s that the format metastasized, following the trajectory of globalization and neo-liberalization and reaching new cities and regions in both the Eurocentric center and the so-called periphery. Considering the notion of “biennialization” (large spectacle-ba- sed exhibitions infiltrating urban fabric or economically reactivating fallow regions or localities) – what is the biennale for at this juncture? What could or should it be for? Is the biennial format via- ble for the next generation of artists and art viewers, in light of global challenges? This talk tackles the biennial’s next steps.

Paul Feigelfeld, curator, Vienna Biennale Marieke van Hal, head of research and development, Manifesta, and co-founder of the Biennial Foundation, Amsterdam Senam Okudzeto, artist/educator, Basel/Accra

Sunday, 30 September 2019

3:00–4:00 pm | Talks: Next?

Closing the gap: Concrete paths to gender (and intersectional) equality

Despite decades of activism and varying degrees of vocal protest, female art practitioners – along with other marginalized players in contemporary art – continue to cope with a lack of access to power structures (speak: money), gross oversights on the part of institutions, and stunning price gaps in the art market. As voices of dissent grow louder, what successes have we seen in recent months, and, more importantly, what collective action can be taken, on all sides, to make lasting changes going forward? This talk explores steps toward inclusion, diversity, and equality.

Sabine Breitwieser, curator, Vienna Candice Breitz, artist/educator, Berlin Ivet Ćurlin, WHW/codirector, Kunsthalle Wien, Zagreb/Vienna Olamiju Fajemisin, writer and editor, Berlin

4:30–5:30 pm | Talks: Next?

What’s wrong with the contemporary art world ... and how can we fix it?

How does the art world live with itself? (quote from New York’s art critic Jerry Saltz). Many others lament contemporary art’s existing structures, some of which are anachronistic, inflexible, perhaps even unethical, and may no longer apply to an uncertain future. Is the art world poised for a revolution? If so, which issues might spur it on and what might be possible or desired outcomes? This panel asks each speaker to air a grievance, explain it, and together discuss possible solutions, improvements, even desires, and dreams.

Dean Kissick, writer and critic, New York André Nourbakhsch, attorney, Berlin Senam Okudzeto, artist/educator, Basel/Accra

Media & Partner Talks

Friday, 27 September, 2019

2:30–3:30 p.m. | viennacontemporary x Bildrecht | Talks | D32 |

What Remains of Art? What is Supposed to Remain?

The prospects and challenges of, as well as the solutions for premature legacies and bequests concerning fine art. The Bildrecht Talk is an initiative of the collective management organisation Bildrecht | Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung visueller Rechte.

Speakers:

• Peter Brodner Lawyer specialized in asset transfers by way of succession and inter vivos
• Natascha Burger Galerie Hubert Winter, Director, Head of Estate, Estate Birgit Jürgenssen
• Karin Lingl Managing Director of the Foundation „Stiftung Kunstfonds zur Förderung der zeitge- nössischen bildenden Kunst“
• Elisabeth von Samsonow Philosopher and artist, full professor for Philosophy and Historical An- thropology of Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
• Sasa Hanten-Schmidt Expert for contemporary fine arts since 1960 with focus on Europe, lawyer
• Günter Schönberger Managing Director of the collective management organisation Bildrecht | Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung visueller Rechte

Moderation:

• Christof Habres Cultural journalist and art market expert

7:00 p.m. | Globe Wien, Marx Halle | Vienna Humanities Festival x ERSTE Stiftung

Social Networks or Social Nightmares?

Leading philosophers and social media specialists will talk about the role of social media and its influence on politics, culture, and society.

Speakers:

• Roger McNamee, Facebook investor, Advisor to Mark Zuckerberg, author of the bestseller “Zu- cked” (2019)
• Evgeny Morozov, political scientist, a visiting scholar at Stanford University, author of “The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom” (2011)
• Max Schrems, Austrian lawyer and activist, who won a legal case against Facebook

Moderator:

• Shalini Randeria, Rector of the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM, Vienna), an independent insti- tute for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences.

Saturday, 28 September 2019 11:30a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Media Talk: Die Presse | Talks | D32 |

City, Culture & Community

What are the common goals of cultural institutions in a city? What role do corporate initiatives play? What impact such projects have on the city and how are they perceived by the public audience? With kind support by Kunstmeile Hamburg.

Speakers: Bettina Steinbrügge, Maria Schneider

Moderator: Eva Komarek

1:00–2:00 p.m. | Collectors Talk | Talks | D32

Attilia Fattori Franchini with Mario von Kelterborn

Mario von Kelterborn, a well-known collector of video art (among others), talks with Attilia Fattori Franchini, curator of the Video presentation, about the charms of collecting video art, its current trend, and feelings of hesitation accompanying buying decisions. How does video art fit into ever- yday life and how do collectors start to get interested in it?

2:00– 4:00 p.m. | Russian Art Focus Discussion | Culture 5.0 Conference | E04

How to Reach Out to Unexplored Art Territories?

Invited experts will discuss the role (if any) that former Soviet republics play in the international contemporary art scene.

Speakers:

• Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director Serpentine Galleries, London
• Jean Hubert Martin, art historian, curator, Paris
• Sam Keller, Head of Beyeler Foundation, Basel
• Nikolas Iljine, Advisor to the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Moderator:

• Richard Wallis, Editor-in-Chief of the Russian Art Focus

5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. | viennacontemporary x Verein K | D32

A Different Point of View: Four Critics on Art in Austria and their Approach to Criticism

What does art in Austria look like from the perspective of international art critics? How do they see the role of criticism today? Are there national differences in writing about art? In the final discus- sion of Verein K‘s residency program Visiting Critics Vienna, we will address these and many other questions.

Speakers:

• Rahel Aima writer, editor, and critic
• Evrim Altug journalist and critic
• Louisa Elderton writer, editor, and curator
• Kristian Vistrup Madsen writer and critic

Moderator: Klaus Speidel

Sunday, 29 September

12:00-13:00 Uhr | Media Talk: Collectors Agenda | Talks | D32 |

Collecting Editions

Collecting art is inspiring, collecting art is fun – and it can be very expensive. Editions can offer an alternative – not only in terms of money. The offer, both from young talents and established artists, is vast. Can editions function as an introduction to collecting? Where can you find them? And what is the long-term price development of editions

Speakers:

Bettina Leidl, Florian Langhammer, Anna Ebner, Elisabeth Wallner, Petra Schilcher

Moderator: Kristina Kulakova