The day after the inauguration of new American president Barack Obama on the 21st of January 2009, media theorist Marina Gržinić, writer and curator Michael Uwemedimo and artist Joep van Lieshout will speak on the topic of 'New Subversion'. For hundreds of years, artists have confronted us incisively with art's subversive potential, by touching on censored, banned, rejected and otherwise publicly ignored subjects. In the postmodern era, however, the subversive artist could now be regarded, with some well-intentioned effort, as a perfectly tolerable and indeed subsidy-worthy citizen. With the artist apparently departed from the scene as a radical questioner, insubordinate or revolutionary, can creative and productive subversion still thrive at the start of the 21st century?
In the arts the concept of 'new' is an ideal as well as a curse. The avant-garde has been declared dead and ' the cult of the new' is past its peak. The pursuit of absolute originality and total innovation has given way to concepts such as remix and postproduction, eclecticism and syncretism. Is 'new' still permitted, how new is neo, how innovative is retro? By looking at the term 'new' in the light of 'old subjects such as virtuosity, beauty, knowledge and idealism, the lecture series THE OLD BRAND NEW proposes to free 'new' of its stale image and present it in its full complexity.
Local and international speakers with a background in different disciplines, from art and theatre to dance and architecture, will reflect from different perspectives on an “old” concept that keeps popping up in the arts and each time is “made new.” Each evening two well-known speakers will reflect extensively on a specific theme, which will be followed by a discussion in an informal atmosphere. The multidisciplinary lecture series is held from January till September 2009 on a monthly basis.
Overview of all dates (to mark in your agenda):
The following themes will be covered:
21 January - New Subversion
10 February - New Knowledge
24 March - New Virtuosity
14 April - New Centre
14 May - New Idealism
22 June - New Beauty
15 September - What is New?
The series was initiated and developed by de Appel arts centre, If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution, Research group Art Practice and Development at the Amsterdam School of the Arts, LISA, Studium Generale of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, DAI /Master Programme / ArtEZ Institute of the Arts and Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam.
For more information, please check the Old Brand New website.