ArtSurvival - future of visual arts in Europe

 

Artists involved were highly valued and paid - until the 19th century. The decline began, not only due to the introduction of new media such as photography but also by the economic-conceptual changes of liberal materialism.  Now, "art" is becoming an "art market", a source of profit instead of a sacrifice of an economic surplus. Thus the ontological and religious context of art is lost: producing cheap - selling expensive is the new religion, also in the fine art sector.

In addition of the economic strain today's artists often exempt themselves from the social context, avoiding to talk about society. A society which is more focused on „digitalisation and robots“, not on reflection of socio-economic tendencies.

 The media refuse to accurately present art as a basic feature of European life.  The Church, once a leading patron, withdrew from this field surrendering to all kind of modernismes.  Although Europe has never been so rich as today, most EU politicians are perfectly incompetent in this cultural-economic area.    Last not least: the "Art Community" lacks political and conceptual endurance.

What are the perspectives for European art and artists in this context, what could be the role of artists in the future, in the face digitization and robotization along with rising production and global commerce?

 

The "Survival Prague 2019" symposium

The idea of SURVIVAL was launched by museum CAM Casoria in Naples three years ago, with its third edition in 2018.

Prague SURVIVAL 2019 continues this “tradition”.  The symposium is organized by the Department of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, curator is Chris Herdel.

The aim of the event is to open an "ecumenical" dialogue between atomized groups of contemporary art representatives in Europe.

Although it is obvious that interests, tastes and approaches in specific areas of art (including interest in the history of his history) vary within the art world we must not miss that a majority of creative actors live and work under unsatisfactory conditions in Europe.  Hence all tendencies of art creation deserve more care by the EU states both in form of communication means and funding.

ARTSURVIVAL program

Wednesday the 6th November

morning program - venue:  Center for Contemporary Arts Prague - lecture hall, Dukelskych hrdinu 500/ 25a,  Prague 7

9:00  Introduction  Milan Salák, artist, UMPRUM, member of  SKUTEK    

9:30   Chris  Herdel, artist, curator, free lecturer
ON THE  FUNCTION  OF  VISUAL  ART IN CONTEMPORARY  EUROPE  :The  cultural cycle, the  great  competitor:  digitalized mass production of (kitsch) imagery.  Art market players: artists,  institutional deciders. Solutions: what  has to  be  changed.  MANIFESTO.

10:20 Andres Ginestet, artist, Martin Buber Academy, Wuppertal 
"Art as the entrydoor for empathy into peace"

11:00 Ralf-Michael Waldemar Seele, Director of  Municipal Art Gallery Meiningen  (Thueringen)
VISUAL  ARTS - „THE SOULS TONGUE“  The example of  municipal  Gallery  ADA,  Meiningen

Visual art in the context  of  production,  consumption  and  reception under the point of  view  of  the third world model.   Alternatives to today’s tecnocratic-rationalistic totalitatarism.

11.40 Discussion

 

12:30 -  13:30  lunch
authentic Prague restaurant Prašivka, Ovenecká 15,  Prague 7

 

afternoon program - venue: Center for Contemporary Arts Prague - lecture hall, Dukelskych hrdinu 500/ 25a,  Prague 7

 

14:00  Marcel Noack ,artists,  Landesverband Bildende Kunst Sachsen e.V.   Zentralwerk
SURVIVAL :  concrete  situation  of art  and artists in Saxony.

15:00  Michal Novotný, Head of Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art,  National Gallery Prague. Presentation of the national gallery shopping policy.

16:00   Nini  Dedalamazishvili , Georgian Art House
“Contemporary art in Georgia:  diagnosis or a medicine for the society”

 

Thursday the 7th November

morning program - venue:  National Gallery Prague, Dukelských hrdinů 47, Prague 7

10.00  visit of Trade Fair Palace - Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art

13:00 – 14:00   lunch
KAVU  (school buffet of Academy of Fine Arts Prague), U  Akademie 4,  Prague 7

 

afternoon program - venue: Academy of Fine Arts Prague – Studio Painting 4, U  Akademie 4,  Prague 7

 14.00   Visit and discussion with  professor and artist Marek Meduna  and  students  in  studio Panting 4 (formal Studio of  Classical Painting Techniques  at AVU)

 

Friday the 8th November

morning program - venue:  UMPRUM  - Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague - lecture hall 115, náměstí Jana Palacha 80, Prague 1

9:00 Klára Peloušková, UMPRUM , methodic of department design 
 „Reduced activity“ –initiative  for  ecological  aspects of art  production.

9:40 Mathias  Fritzsche, director presentation of art magazine Kunst:Art, Cologne

10:30 Jelena  Spaic, curator  of  the  Faculty  of  fine  arts  Belgrade,  Serbia
Situation of art and artists in  Serbia

11.20  debate

 

12.30 – 13.30  lunch
school buffet UMPRUM, náměstí Jana Palacha 80, Prague 1

afternoon program - venue:  UMPRUM  - Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague - lecture hall 115, náměstí Jana Palacha 80, Prague 1

 

13:30 Viktoria Topol,  Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Prague

“The introduction of Russian 20th century visual art in Czech Republic and the promotion  of  artists  by  the  Russian Center for Culture and Science”.

14:30  Johana Lomová, representing art support association SKUTEK

15:30  Chris  Herdel, Setting up the Manifesto
  „Survival of visual arts in the EU“ –Requests, demands to  politicians  and  cultural  decisiontakers  for  a  more  open and  democratic artscene.