New symposium will focus on building art institutions in Africa

Raw Material Company yesterday announced a 3-day international symposium on building art institutions in Africa. Organized in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the symposium takes place in Dakar, Senegal, from 18–20 January 2012.

CONDITION REPORT aims to address the changing role of art institutions and initiatives in relation to the broader artistic urgencies and to society in its whole. The symposium is organized to evaluate a founding principle of many independent organizations that have emerged in recent years—namely that independent contemporary art institutions are an important voice in the construction of a strong cultural private sector as well as in forging a critical opinion from an open civil society. The importance of issues of action, space, power, control and quality will be covered. The sessions will provide a platform for discussing case studies and experiences accompanied by an informed interpretative analysis.

What kind of intellectual and artistic society can be imagined given the recurrent political and economical setbacks that cause continual disruptions in the development of visions in Africa? How can government institutions adjust to these paradigm shifts to achieve fruitful public-private partnerships? What are the dynamics that former colonial powers create through their strong cultural and artistic presence in post-colonial territories? More importantly—and in profound belief that institutions are not only products of their environments, but also active agents capable of shaping their societies in return—what potentials exist for the art institution? What can artists and related professionals expect from an art institution in a context determined by one off blockbuster events, financial incapacities and educational degradation?

The symposium is divided into three chapters broke down into multiple sessions.

Wednesday January 18 2012
The first chapter, Actors, Agents and Mainstream takes a look at existing institutions—public and private—and how they work to build a shared understanding of artistic agency. The African cultural and artistic context is characterized by the predominance of government led art programs and infrastructure. Be them biennials, festivals, conferences, cultural centers or art schools. Artistic initiatives are developed and carried out by civil servants of the ministry of culture often through the induction of the Head of the State, who, in more cases than not, uses the arts and culture to serve a personal agenda for political gain and checking off the art box. This is even stronger the case in countries with a French colonial past, who have adopted the French system of cultural and artistic organization.

Thursday January 19 2012
The second chapter Area Studies investigates models and profiles of art institutions developed in other regions of the world with similar historical and contemporary settings. It is interesting that the emergence of independent art spaces coincides with an increased academic and research interest in post-coloniality. Are there specific characteristics of artistic action that post-soviet, post-socialist and post-dictatorial territories share with Africa with regards to freedom of speech, mobility, financial power, entrepreneurship and programmatic integrity? What kind of international collaborations can be developed to give voice to the experience of occupation and domination? Which strategies are at play to move forward and create climates of alert creative societies?

Friday January 20 2012
The third chapter Remains of the Days discusses how former colonial powers define and implement their strategies of cultural representation and exchange in post-colonial areas, and how these strategies influence local dynamics of cultural action. It is an old knowledge to professionals in the field that cultural and artistic life in most African cities is spearheaded by cultural institutions of western countries such as France, Germany, Great-Britain, Spain, Portugal and to some extent the U.S. Embedded in the dialectics of cultural diplomacy and mutual understanding and arising mainly from the colonial carthasis, these institutions, yet, shape and greatly influence the perceptions of local and international audiences with regards to intellectual activity and artistic production in the territories that they are active in. This chapter analyses the dynamics that this reality engenders. Beyond being part of their countries strategies in promoting themselves, can their strong presence and activity in Africa be read as the result of endogenic failures to establish and sustain an art scene with local means? Or is it part of a strategy to maintain a supremacy that is evident in economical and political spheres?

In an effort to contextualize the Senegalese art scene and facilitate access and exchange for international participants, site visits to art initiatives in and around Dakar are an integral part of the program.

A detailed schedule will be released in January 2012. Admission is free.

For more information, visit Raw Material Company online.

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