Institutions by Artists Session One

Institutional Time: Facts & Fictions

The histories of artist-run initiatives inextricably belong to the sociopolitical contexts in which they develop, but a purely historical review of these initiatives and contexts elides their critical significance to artistic production, presentation, and discourse even while these histories are yet to be written, revised, and completed. In this session, presenters will compare and contrast key episodes from the annals of artist-run initiatives against a range of topics, including censorship, historical re-enactments and reconstructions, as well as established and problematic narratives of institutional critique, among other considerations. By looking retrospectively at these moments through the thematic lenses of the conference, participants will go beyond the mere facts and fictions of institution building to generate new questions about artist-run initiatives and practices today.

With:

Vincent Bonin
Jennifer Cane and Al Razutis
Louise Hervé Chloé Maillet
International Institute for Important Items
Gabi Ngcobo
Center for Historical Reenactments

Moderator:

Kate Steinmann

Plus a Screening of A Message from Our Sponsor (Al Razutis, 9 min., 1979)