Polyphony of Voices
20-23 October 2002
BUNKIER SZTUKI Contemporary Art Gallery
Poland, Kraków, pl. Szczepañski 3a
tel (+48/12) 422 40 21; 422 10 52
www.bunkier.com.pl/po
Where: BUNKIER SZTUKI Contemporary Art Gallery,
Poland, Kraków, pl. Szczepañski 3a, tel (+48/12) 422 40 21; 422 10 52; fax (+48/12) 422 83 08 www.bunkier.com.pl/po lyphony
When: October 20-23, 2002
Conference curator: Adam Budak – BUNKIER SZTUKI, Kraków (budak@bunkier.com.pl)
Soren Andreasen, Azorro, Caroline Bachmann, Bart de Baere, Monika Bakke, Stefan Banz, Aaron Betsky, Miros³aw Ba³ka, Waling Boers, Paula Boettcher, Monica Bonvicini, Iara Boubnova, Andrew Brighton, Mariola Brillowska, Adam Budak, Neil Cummings, Hubert Czerepok, Catherine David, Joshua Decter, Christoph Doswald, Charles Esche, Bruce Ferguson, Andrea Fraser, Ewa Gorz¹dek, Ryszard Górecki, Hou Hanru, Joerg Heiser, Matthias Herrmann, Jan Hoet, Grzegorz Klaman, Ryszard W. Kluszczyñski, Izabela Kowalczyk, Wojciech Koz³owski, Katarzyna Kozyra, Piotr Krajewski, Michael Kroeger, Lars Bang Larsen, Marysia Lewandowska, Zbigniew Libera, Maria Lind, Enrico Lunghi, Beauvais Lyons, Chus Martinez, Suzanna Milevska, Bernd Milla, Robert C. Morgan, Frances Morris, Maria Morzuch, Vanessa Joan Mueller, Joanna Mytkowska, Warren Nies³uchowski, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Brian ODoherty, Olu Oguibe, Jerzy Onuch, Piotr Piotrowski, Pawel Polit, Maria Anna Potocka, Andrzej Przywara, Raster, Andrew Renton, Anda Rottenberg, Robert Rumas, Piotr Rypson, Adam Rzepecki, Henrik Schrat, Nedko Solakov, Christopher Sperandio, Barbara Steiner, Stach Szab³owski, Aneta Szy³ak, Adam Szymczyk, Christoph Tannert, Marta Tarabu³a, Marek Wasilewski, Scott Watson, Rein Wolfs, Hanka Wróblewska, Jan Verwoert
POLYPHONY OF VOICES is focused on the problematics of contemporary curatorial practices and its artistic, social and political implications. It is a second (and larger in-scale) attempt at introducing these issues to Polish audience and the contemporary art context after the session entitled Four (instant) Voices. Gallery: Vivisection Of A Discourse which was held at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery in January 2002 on the occasion of the exhibition Four Rooms with contribution from Elmgreen&Dragset, Dominik Lejman, Piotr Lutyñski, Attila Menesi/Christoph Rauch and the film programme (including works of Marysia Lewandowska/Neil Cummings, Andrea Fraser, Azorro Group, Christian Jankowski and Mariola Brillowska). Whereas the FOUR (instant) VOICES session (with participation from Renee Green, Marysia Lewandowska and Jens Hoffmann) concentrated on the discourses related to the very institution of museums or galleries and their functioning mechanisms, the POLYPHONY OF VOICES conference aims to approach the complexity of the relationship between artist and curator. As its structural point of departure, this event wishes to refer to the Bachtinian model of a polyphonic discourse in order to achieve the Brechtian alienation effect through the role reversal and subsequent pattern shake: the primary organising principle of the conference invites artists to curate the curators. Curators, hence are transformed into a more ambigious and thus more obviously creative position. Adapting such a convention, the conferences performative aspect oscillates somewhere between Andrea Frasers May I Help You stylistics of guided tour and Fred Wilsons Mining the Museum attempts and objectives… Questions which arise from this negociated space include: What is the arena of artist /curator co-existence? What is the division of labour? In such a masquarade-like atmosphere of alerted attention to artist-versus-curator roles, the conferences further primary aim is to juxtapose and foreground different strategies of curatorial practice, art criticism and functions of the art institution (looking at German, French, British and American models – from an art historical perspective through to sociological, philosophical and purely curatorial positions…). What are the formative processes which contribute to our curatorial methods and tactics? How does one BECOME a curator? The phenomenon of curatorial practice as both an intellectual discourse and the priviledged position of the curator will be tested in this framework of discussion. The conference will address a number of self-proclaimed descriptions, tags and schools (from the moderator and translator through to the notion of a cultural communicator, broker of cultural goods, visual anthropologist and the exhibition auteur – new arbiter of taste).
If according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, curator is an official in charge, what is then he/she really responsible for? What is the ethics of curatorial decisions if we accept a very process of curating as an identity-affirming experience? The main territories of the POLYPHONY OF VOICES conference may be structured into the following sections: a) examining the received ideas (or much ado about nothing): borderland spaces and limited areas b) curators background and backstage/searching for departures c) roles and models/role models (do we need any ideology for it at all?): play of dominance and autonomy? d) curating: moderating, translating or filtrating? e) curating: crossing the line of a public service (clearing up misunderstandings and confusions) f) case Studies: master (exhibition) bits & pieces / perfect marriages and misalliances + special: everything you would like to know about the curator but you are afraid to ask.
Sponsors and Partners:
American Center Foundation, The British Council, Goethe Institut Inter Nationes, US Consulate General Krakow, PRO HELVETIA, Deutsche Bank, Polish Airlines LOT, ORBIS Hotel Cracovia, Jagellonian University Institute of Arts History, Czas Kultury
