Concerning War
Soft Target. War as a Daily, First-Hand Reality
Undercurrents
06 November - 18 December 2005
BAK, basis voor actule kunst
info [at] bak-utrecht.nl
photo: Hollandse Hoogte.
A project with a multi-faceted format on the issue of how war is reflected upon in contemporary artistic practice consisting of an exhibition Soft Target. War as a Daily, First-Hand Reality, and a series of weekly lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances entitled Undercurrents
Opening: 5 November at 16.00 hrs
Writer and publicist Michaël Zeeman delivers an opening speech in the form of a document of hope.
A project with a multi-faceted format on the issue of how war is reflected upon in contemporary artistic practice consisting of an exhibition Soft Target. War as a Daily, First-Hand Reality, and a series of weekly lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances entitled Undercurrents
Opening: 5 November at 16.00 hrs
Writer and publicist Michaël Zeeman delivers an opening speech in the form of a document of hope.
BAK, basis voor actuele kunst
info@bak-utrecht.nl www.bak-utrecht.nl
Concerning War is a project with a multi-faceted format including an exhibition Soft Target. War as a Daily, First-Hand Reality, a series of weekly lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances called Undercurrents, as well as a publication that consider how the issue of war is reflected upon in contemporary artistic practice. Concerning War focuses on the current situation of a permanent state of conflict across the globe. Concerning War addresses violent incidents in the world not as isolated events but as a new condition of an ongoing, unparalleled warfare.
The exhibition entitled Soft Target. War as Daily, First-Hand Reality presents a collection of works by over twenty international artists and filmmakers. While addressing different concepts of war, Soft Target begins with the question of whether art can provide a probing, radical impression of war as a daily, first-hand reality. Whereas the media fall short of addressing this issue, various artistic positions in the exhibition speculate upon the capacity of images to convey the reality of war, as well as about ethics of any such attempt. The exhibition is curated by Brigitte van der Sande.
Participating artists: Kamal Aljafari (Ramle/Cologne), Maja Bajevic (Sarajevo/Paris), Jean-Jacques Birgé (Paris), Manel Esparbé i Gasca (Amsterdam), Jean-Luc Godard (Paris), Sagi Groner (Tel Aviv/Amsterdam), Afredo Jaar (New York), Aryan Kaganof (Johannesburg), Chris Marker (Paris), Renzo Martens (Brussels/Amsterdam/Brazzaville), Aernout Mik (Amsterdam), Deimantas Narkevi?ius (Vilnius), Jules & Gédéon Naudet and James Hanlon (New York), Ronald Ophuis (Amsterdam), Adela Peeva (Sofia), Alain Resnais (Paris), Anri Sala (Tirana/Berlin), Coco Schrijber (Amsterdam), Peter Watkins (London), and Jasmila ZbaniC (Sarajevo).
Undercurrents is a series of weekly talks with artists, curators, and theorists on subjects that touch upon the underlying forces behind the current state of warfare, including how we define war, the impact of the media and its manipulations, and what role critical artistic and intellectual practices may play in addressing these issues. Through presentations, lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances, the participants in Undercurrents discuss issues such as fear, the rhetoric of war, agonistic democracy, and notions of the enemy, security, and biopower from the perspective of their own critical practices. Undercurrents is curated by Danila Cahen, Binna Choi, and Maria Hlavajova.
12. 11. 2005, 16.00 hrs: On Documenting (truth and politics), with Boris Buden, writer, Berlin, Hito Steyerl, filmmaker and writer, Berlin, and Renzo Martens, artist, Brussels, Amsterdam, Brazzaville
19. 11. 2005, 16.00 hrs: On Crisis (emergency and new heroism), with Jeremiah Day, artist, Amsterdam, Klub Zwei, artists collective, Vienna, and Jan Verwoert, art critic, Berlin
26. 11. 2005, 16.00 hrs: On Fear (war machine and threat), with Pavel Büchler, artist, Manchester, Kendell Geers, artist, Brussels, and Henk Oosterling, philosopher, Rotterdam
3. 12. 2005, 16.00 hrs: On Rhetoric (language and new warfare), with Ayreen Anastas, artist, New York, Bregje van Eekelen, cultural theorist, Amsterdam, and Rene Gabri, artist, New York
10. 12. 2005, 16.00 hrs: On Mutation (post-Cold War and new order), with Viktor Misiano, art critic and curator, Moscow, Sean Snyder, artist, Berlin, and YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES, artists collective, Seoul
17. 12. 2005, 16.00 hrs: On Imagining (options and strategies of resistance), with Mieke Bal, cultural theorist, Amsterdam, Benda Hofmeyer, philosopher, Rotterdam, Lars Bang Larsen, curator and art critic, Copenhagen, Dieter Lesage, philosopher, Brussels, and Willem de Rooij, artist, Amsterdam
For more information:
BAK, basis voor actuele kunst
Lange Nieuwstraat 4, 3512 PH, Utrecht, the Netherlands
info@bak-utrecht.nl, www.bak-utrecht.nl
T: 31 (0)30 2316125 F: 31 (0)30 2300591
Concerning War has been made possible by financial support from: Mondriaan Foundation, The Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design and Architecture, Foundation Memory Fund Vincent van Gogh, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, K.F. Hein Fonds, Stichting De Gijselaar-Hintzenfonds, Antenne de la Haye/Institute Français des Pays-Bas.
The activities of BAK, basis voor actuele kunst have been made possible by financial support from: Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, City Council of Utrecht, and the Province of Utrecht.
