European Constitution. What creates Europe?
30 May – 31 July 2009
Opening: Saturday 30 May, 5 pm
GÓRNOŚLĄSKIE CENTRUM KULTURY / UPPER SILESIAN CENTRE OF CULTURE
Pl. Sejmu Śląskiego 2
40-032 Katowice
Poland
www.biennale-sektor.art.pl
Curators: Marta Raczek and Kamil Kuskowski
Main coordinator: Monika Lewandowska
The Biennial aims at maintaining or even reinvigorating the question on what constitutes the European Union. Process of integration is now being realized through subsumption to one economic, political and social entity. In opposition to it, Rem Koolhaas and AMO proposed an idea of the European Union as multiplication and amplification of diversity as it is visualized in their project of so called ‘European barcode’. Whereas in European flag twelve stars symbolize the unity of all countries, European bar code adds all national flags into a multicolor pattern that represents both separateness of each member state and the mosaic totality. Failure of subsequent constitutional projects not only shows resistance to subsumption into a superstate but also need for a vision of self-organization, citizenship and sovereignty different from bureaucratic ways of unification that are dominating now. Art may help to overcome the political impasse, in which the projects of integration are deadlocked, proposing artistic, imaginary, utopian, fictional visions of Europe of Diversities.
Koolhaas and AMO designed European barcode in 2001 just before eastward expansion of the EU now we propose to see whether and how the new countries may and want to add their varieties to constitute more diversified Europe.
We are seeking for prospective visions and provisional concepts, bold actions and weak gestures, sharp images and blurred apparitions, effective phenomena and ineffective phantoms, convincing representations and representatives of the incredible. We are posing a question how the new countries may and want to contribute to what constitutes Europe. We are seeking for the art works that would show how the Central and East Europe can co-constitute growing and evolving Europe. In other words, we proposing an imaginary re-writing of the European Constitution in order to, through strengthening diversity and multiplying differences, turn the European project into a non-imperialist and all-inclusive alternative in a global circumstance. Central and East Europe with its complicated and conflictual history, national and ethnical complexity could be an experimental field for training in advancing diversity, amplifying differences. And Katowice – city that used to have a slightly unstable status seems to be a perfect place for inventing ideas helpful in developing an alternative to existing European or global orders.
Main organisers: Upper Silesian Centre of Culture and Sektor Art Foundation in Katowice
Partners: ARC Projects – Bulgary, Michal Gallery – Czech Republic, Public Preparation – Estonia, Kloster Bentlage – Germany, Trafó Gallery – Hungary, ARTKOR – Lithuania, Sektor I Gallery – Poland, F.A.I.T. – Poland, Plan-B Gallery – Romania, Tatranská Gallery Poprad – Slovakia, Škuc Gallery – Slovenia, Institution of Unstable Thoughts – Ukraine.
