Censorship & Freedom of Expression Committee Statement on threat to art professionals and damage to cultural heritage in Gaza.

The Censorship and Freedom of Expression Committee of Aica International would like to express its deep concern at the extensive loss of lives, the threat to art critics, artists, curators and the irreparable damage to art centers, museums and cultural sites in Gaza. The Hamas- Israeli conflict since last October which claimed 33000 Palestinian and 1100 Israeli lives has also led to large scale destruction of the shared cultural and historical heritage of the world. In its initial findings via satellite and eyewitness accounts UNESCO has verified damage to 43 significant cultural sites that include 24 buildings of historical and artistic interest. The important visual arts center, Shababeek for Contemporary Art was razed to the ground during Israeli bombing, along with it invaluable collection of 20,000 art works. This included 5,000 pieces that represented 30 years of the art practice of Sarhan, one of the founders of Shababeek for Contemporary Art. Earlier Eltiqa Group for Contemporary Art, another established visual arts space was also destroyed. Both these institutions offered a community programming which included and a much needed arts-focused mental health programming to support children growing up amid the wars and blockades. Their devastation has left a vacuum in the cultural life of the people of Gaza.

During the ongoing conflict one of Palestine’s most celebrated artist, Fathi Ghaben lost his life because he was not allowed to leave Gaza to receive urgent medical care, another popular artist, Heba Zaqout was killed in an airstrike. The human cultural capital of Gaza is increasingly at risk as already intellectuals, academics,artists, poets and writers, among them, 3 university presidents and 95 university professors, have lost their lives since October. Gaza's museums have not been spared from the bombardment, the Al-Qarara Cultural Museum in southern Gaza, which housed a pottery collection from the Byzantine period, suffered serious damage and the Rafah Museum and Al-Mathaf, a national archaeology museum in the making, were also bombed, and their contents destroyed.

It is important to reiterate here that one of the fundamental principles of the Preamble of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict states that “damage to cultural property belonging to any people whatsoever means damage to the cultural heritage of all mankind, since each people makes its contribution to the culture of the world”. Also enshrined in various UN Conventions is that cultural heritage is an important component of the cultural identity of communities, groups and individuals, and of social cohesion, so that its intentional destruction may have adverse consequences on human dignity and human rights.

A report by Forensic Architecture on the archaeological site of Blakhiyya, (identified as Anthedon Harbour, Gaza's ancient seaport dated 800 BCE – 1100), has been largely damaged by Israeli airstrikes and military activities. The same is true of Mukheitim, the Byzantine Church, (5th century) with its mosaic floors and Greek inscriptions which has been turned into a base for the Israeli military.

As the UN Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights, we urge you to take action against the blatant violation by Israel of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Second Protocol which prohibits the destruction and damage to cultural heritage in armed conflicts. As a signatory of UNESCO treaties and conventions it is incumbent upon Israel to respect international law and Palestinian cultural property should not be targeted or used for military purposes under any circumstances.

AICA International joins fellow professional organization like Forensic Architecture and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) to underline the violation of human rights, freedom of expression and cultural rights of art professionals and the people of Gaza.

On behalf of AICA

Malgorzata Kazmierczak, President of AICA International

Niilofur Farrukh, Chair of the Censorship Committee

Documents available as PDF files below.
Censorship & Freedom of Expression Committee Statement on threat to art professionals and damage to cultural heritage in Gaza.

Threat to art professionals and damage to cultural heritage in Gaza. Letter to UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967

Threat to art professionals and damage to cultural heritage in Gaza. Letter to UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights c/o Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Announcing Partnership: AICA Joins Forces with Freemuse for Artistic Freedom

We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Freemuse, an international organization dedicated to advocating for and defending freedom of artistic expression. This memorandum, signed on April 23, 2024, solidifies our commitment to collaborate with Freemuse until December 31, 2025, with a plan for review thereafter.

As part of this partnership, both AICA and Freemuse will actively share information of mutual interest and collaborate on various initiatives, including monitoring and documenting violations of artistic freedom, advocacy actions, joint publications, and supporting each other's campaigns. Importantly, both organizations are committed to upholding international human rights values and standards in all shared works and activities.

We're excited about the possibilities this partnership holds for advancing artistic freedom worldwide!

Read the Memorandum of Understanding between Freemuse and AICA.

Meetings on Art Criticism: Chenoa Baker and Katarzyna Cytlak

May 4, 5 pm, LNMA National Gallery of Art auditorium

The event will be held in English. Participation is free of charge, without registration. Presentations will be accompanied by a joint discussion.

This year, the series of events organized in the context of the Art Criticism Awards starts with a meeting with two art critics who are the two prize winners of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) Incentive Prize for Young Art Critics 2023.

Chenoa Baker (Boston, USA) and Katarzyna Cytlak (Poznan, Poland) write in very different styles, for very distinct audiences, with very diverse approaches to their research, and ask different questions both of themselves and the artworks. However, it is precisely the differences that invite us to pay attention to the variety of critical challenges in today's context. Art criticism is a mediator between content and context, reflecting, among other things, the tensions within the field of art, which is confronted with questions of history, politics, and the perception of art.

Curator, writer and cultural strategist Chenoa Baker won first prize in the AICA competition for her essay “Traveling Somewhere Warm in Our Minds: A Review of Presence in the Pause: Interiority and its Radical Immanence.” Her presentation "Relational Aesthetics in Criticism" invites us to take a behind-the-scenes look at her writing and thinking process of the award-winning piece. Despite the author's skepticism towards exhibitions of figurative painting, the text reviews precisely such an exhibition. Baker will also look at her other writing projects, the psychological concepts behind that make relatable writing, and some examples of how human encounters with art are an important and often forgotten layer of meaning-making in criticism. She hopes that the talk is a generative, fun, and thought-provoking affirmation for the audience.

Baker teaches at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and previously was the Associate Curator at “ShowUp” art space. In addition, she has consulted on several exhibitions, such as Gio Swaby: Fresh Up at the Peabody Essex Museum and Touching Roots: Black Ancestral Legacies in the Americas at MFA/Boston. Her writing appears in Hyperallergic, Public Parking, Material Intelligence, and Studio Potter.

Katarzyna Cytlak is an art historian, her piece Condensing Vestiges of Past Futures in the Post-Peripheries: Artistic Engagement with Post-Colonial and Post-Authoritarian Contexts was awarded the second prize in the AICA competition. In her lecture of the same title, she will dive into the dynamics of archival and historiographic turn in contemporary art. According to her, this turn has been shaped by the realities of post-authoritarian, post-communist, and post-crisis contexts. Cytlak discusses artists of Uruguayan, Polish, Hungarian, Angolan, Iraqi and American origin whose work respond to post-authoritarian trauma, socio-political crisis, and a general state of ideological confusion characteristic of world regions placed between major centers of power. She is particularly interested in how these artists use images from popular culture to create historical meta-narratives of power and resistance. Her research draws on the insights of the German philosopher Reinhart Koselleck, the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe, and the Argentinean and Mexican sociologist Néstor García Canclini.

Cytlak's research is focused on the art of Central and Latin America, often juxtaposing these regions with Eastern Europe. She teaches art criticism at the University of Toruń in Poland. She holds a PhD from the Sorbonne and has held fellowships at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) in Argentina and the University of San Martin. Her articles have been published in Umění/Art, Eadem Utraque Europa, Telón de Fondo, Third Text, RIHA Journal and many other publications.

The series of events will continue with a meeting with curator and writer Raimundas Malašauskas, individual meetings with editors of cultural media (registration will be announced soon) and the 2024 Art Criticism Awards ceremony on the first of June.

The Visual Art Criticism Awards and the accompanying events are organized by the Contemporary Art Centre, the LNMA National Gallery of Art and Artnews.lt. The project is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius City Municipality.

Joseph Backstein, curator and critic, 1945-2024.

Joseph Backstein, Berlin c.2008. Photo by Maxim Jablonski (Joseph’s son).

Joseph Backstein passed away on 12 January 2024 in London after a long illness and was buried in Novo Vostriakovskoye Jewish Cemetery, Moscow on 19 January.

He is celebrated for many achievements as a curator, including the founding of the Moscow Biennale, for which he was Commissioner for its first 6 editions (2004-2016).

For those who knew him, his energy, charm and openness as well as his intellect endeared him to many. Looking across the many artists and curators who took part in the exhibitions and projects he worked on, he touched many lives.

The Moscow Biennale began in the Lenin Museum in 2005 (prior to renovation) and one of his ideas to mark its place in Russian history was to screen continuously the film about Lenin in its auditorium, from its days as a historical museum. Each subsequent edition used different venues across the city of Moscow, and this shift in locations, as well as the roster of international curators, made the Biennale distinctive, as did the mobilisation of other galleries which formed the extensive parallel programme of primarily Russian artists.

His career as a curator started in 1987 with the Avantgarde Club in Moscow, but he had been working closely with Kabakov and other conceptual artists through the 1980s, when he was married to Ira Nakhova. Joseph took over Kabakov’s studio on Sretensky Boulevard, which had been famous for its artists’ gatherings, as the office/workspace of ICA, Moscow, 1988-2018.

A Russian edition of ‘Trialogues’, an experiment in writing by Michael Epstein, Ilya Kabakov and Joseph Backstein from the early 1980s will be published soon, and demonstrates Joseph’s long-standing interests in cultural studies and critical and non-conformist examinations of what it meant to live in the Soviet Union, as its utopia was crumbling. He travelled abroad for the first time in 1988, when he went to Berlin to organise Iskunstvo. He organised two remarkable exhibitions of conceptual art, one in Sandinovsky Bath House in 1988, where the (male) visitors and participants could swim, and another inside Butyrskaja Prison in 1992, with the inmates and governor present. In 1999, he curated the Russian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, showing Komar and Melamid and Yuri Albert. He became renowned for the many touring exhibitions he organised of Moscow conceptual artists abroad (largely in USA, and Europe) post-Perestroika, including ‘Perspectives on Conceptualism’ (USA, 1991-1993) and for the large number of international artists who he brought to Russia in the 2000s, from Boltanski to Yoko Ono. During the 1990s, his interest in performance, video art and installation developed in exhibitions like Medialisation (Edsvik, Sweden, 1998), even though he wrote critically of how painting remained the model against which the post-medium condition of contemporary art was formed. His fascination with Walter Benjamin led to his exhibition with Bart de Baere, titled, Angels of History (Antwerp, 2002).

Joseph was also founder and Director of the ‘Joseph Backstein School of Contemporary Art’ (current name), formerly School for Problems of Contemporary Art, and New Art Strategies programme in the 1990s. Many now distinguished mid-career artists from Russia trained on his courses and several exhibitions were held of the student’s works, notably “Out of the Cold” marking the collaboration with Valand School of Art, Sweden.

Two important books collecting his writing and documenting his exhibitions were published in Russian towards the end of his career.

A recent celebration of the many facets of his career took place in Art Moscow, April 2024 by friends and colleagues, which he had also helped organise. He also played a key part in the transition of Garage’s first venue (Konstantin Melnikov and Vladimir Shukhov’s bus garage) into the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, curating a section on ‘Conceptual art and Sots Art’ for its 2015 exhibition on Jewish artists, “Contemporaries of the Future”.

Building an open and two-way dialogue between Russia and the international art world was at the heart of everything Joseph did for 3 decades and his desire to democratise and foster international exchange is one important part of his legacy, even if it feels the very possibilities he spent his career generating are closing down.

His work and career is documented at: https://josephbackstein.com

He was married three times, lastly to Katy Deepwell (2001-) and had 4 children from different relationships.

Open Call: Critics-in-Residence Programme @Kyoto Experiment 2024

<Residency for Art- & Cultural Critics from EU member states> The Delegation of the European Union to Japan launches a residency for art- & cultural critics, which is held as a part of this year’s Kyoto Experiment: Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival.

Deadline of Open Call: 20 May, 2024

Residency Period: 5 – 27 October, 2024

About Kyoto Experiment 

Kyoto Experiment is a performing arts festival held in Kyoto since 2010. Dedicated to producing and presenting experimental performing arts—both from Japan and overseas—the festival aims to explore and create new dialogues and values in society. Featuring experimental works that move freely between genres such as theater, dance, music and fine art, the festival hopes to open up new possibilities through the creations, experiences, and ideas that emerge from such a diverse combination.

https://kyoto-ex.jp/

Our Aim

With the aim, to reflect and foster the potential of art- and cultural critique, we are planning to host a maximum number of eight critics from EU member states for a residency in Kyoto during the entire festival period of Kyoto Experiment (dates:　Oct 5th-27th). Participants are invited to contribute with their expertise and experience to creating a space for exchange and reflection about the role of critique in nurturing the environment art and cultural production and in facilitating the role of art and culture in current societies. Together with the residents from the EU, our partner The Saison Foundation will host a Japanese critic to join the dialogue and address the situation of the art scene in Japan.During the festival period, we will hold multiple events in different formats involving the residents, such as public discussions, panel talks, workshops etc.

Who can apply?

Cultural journalists, preferably with a focus on performing arts, including arts writers, critics, theoreticians working for any kind of media and support, e.g. (online) magazines, newspapers, radios, televisions, new media platforms…

Eligibility requirements

• A minimum of three years’ experience in art/cultural critique and ongoing professional activity

• Good level of spoken and written English

• Citizens of the 27 EU member states or persons having a permanent residency in one of the 27 EU member states [check this list] 

What we offer

• Round trip flight from Europe to Japan

• Travel expenses for the transfer from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto (round trip)

• Accommodation in Kyoto during the residency period from Oct 5 to Oct 28

• A lump sum of 150,000 Yen to cover living expenses during the residency

• Tickets for the entire programmes of Kyoto Experiment

• Platforms for exchange and debate during the festival period, access to the professional network of Japanese and international art and cultural practitioners affiliated to Kyoto Experiment

• Support in getting to know the local art scene

The critics-in-residence programme will take place in October 2024. The duration of the residency is fixed and is not subject to change. Arrival in Kyoto is scheduled for October 5th, departure from Japan for October 28th.

Expected Outcome

Participation in public and semi-public discussions and exchange sessions during the festival. The framework will be discussed in advance with the participants after the residents have been determined.

A written article in English language on a subject connected to the resident’s stay in Kyoto and their impressions of the local art environment, to be published on Kyoto Experiment’s website.

How to apply?

Please submit the following documents to EU_mobility@goethe.de by May 20th, 2024, (23:59 CET)

• Filled-out application form

• Current resume

• Three samples of your previous works in the field of art critique/cultural critique (written content, radio, video et al.) in English or any of the EU languages.

• Please put the subject line as “Critics-in-Residence” when you submit your application. Work samples that exceed the file size of Gmail (or other email) attachments should be submitted by a file sharing system referencing the same email address.

Announcement of Results

Applicants will be notified about the result of their application via e-mail by June 14th, 2024.

Notes

Successful applicants, who are permanent residents of the EU, but do not hold an EU member state’s nationality, might - depending on their nationality - have to acquire a visa for their stay in Japan. The organizer will provide support in submitting visa applications but won’t be held liable in case the visa application is not successful.

We request successful applicants to take out an overseas travel insurance covering the period of their stay in Japan.

Organizer: Delegation of the European Union to Japan

Operated by: Goethe-Institut Tokyo

In cooperation with: Kyoto Experiment: Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival, The Saison Foundation

For inquiries

Please e-mail to: EU_mobility@goethe.de

Letter from AICA Regarding Anti-Cultural Policies of President Javier Milei's Government in Argentina

UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights c/o Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Dear Ms. Xanthaki,

The Censorship and Freedom of Expression Committee of AICA International has been informed by its Argentinian National Section that the anti-cultural policies of President Javier Milei Government have become a cause of serious concern. These policies target the art community at every level as funding is increasingly used as a tool to curb freedom of expression. The censorship of gender-based content has also led to fear of reprisals among artists, art critics and curators.

AICA is a representative body of art critics based in Paris since the 1940s. It is active across the world with around 5500 members in 95 countries. One of its objectives is to protect the ethical and professional rights of its members and defend impartiality and freedom of artistic expression worldwide. The Censorship and Freedom of Expression Committee of AICA actively monitors cases of censorship and violation of freedom of expression, and artistic rights. It extends support to its members, through advocacy and visibility of their cases.

The Milei Government, which has publicly declared its bias towards the cultural sector, has begun to withdraw its funding commitments, this has led to the closing of two important cultural institutions and put others at risk. According to reports, 80% of the staff in the State funded cultural institutions has yet to be appointed by the government and in others unqualified persons have been hired to run them. All these changes are being carried out through arbitrary laws that circumvent legislation protecting the rights and wellbeing of cultural professionals and institutions. These actions gain greater urgency, when seen through the lens of the country's past when freedom of expression was brutally violated by authoritarian regimes.

These actions undermine the autonomy of cultural institutions and freedom of expression of art professionals and are unacceptable to AICA and all organisations that support the UNESCO Charter of Freedom of Expression.

All the anti- culture policies of Javier Milei are in clear violation of the freedom of expression and cultural rights enshrined in the UNESCO Treaty signed by Argentina. AICA International strongly urges your office to take action against the violation of the Treaty and the widespread threat to artists, art critics, curators and cultural institutions in Argentina.

Sincerely
On behalf of AICA

Malgorzata Kazmierczak
President of AICA International

Niilofur Farrukh
Chair of the Censorship Committee

AICA Próxima No 7

AICA Próxima No 7: ESPACIO Y TIEMPO EN EL ARTE DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE

La contribución de la crítica, coleccionista y editora, Celia Sredni de Birbragher al desarrollo y promoción del arte y la crítica en la América Latina y el Caribe por espacio de cuatro décadas es destacada en el artículo de portada de AICA Próxima en su séptima edición, trimestral y multilingüe.

Esta nueva edición incluye, también, amplios contenidos sobre los hitos y actividades organizadas durante el primer trimestre del 2024 por los miembros de diez de las secciones de AICA Regional y cómo están impactando de manera decisiva la esfera cultural y artístico de sus respectivos países.

---

AICA Próxima No 7: SPACE AND TIME IN THE ART OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

The cover article of the seventh edition of AICA Próxima, a quarterly and multilingual publication, shines a spotlight on the contributions of critic, collector, and editor Celia Sredni de Birbragher to the advancement and promotion of art and criticism in Latin America and the Caribbean over four decades.

This latest edition also features comprehensive coverage of the significant milestones and events organized during the first quarter of 2024 by members of ten AICA Regional sections. These initiatives are making a decisive impact on the cultural and artistic landscapes of their respective countries.

3SICCN – Three Seas Initiative Cultural Cooperation Network

On April 10, 2024, a group of institutions from countries in the Three Seas region officially established their new cultural cooperation network – The Three Seas Initiative Cultural Cooperation Network (3SICCN) – in Vilnius, Lithuania.

3SICCN is comprised of cultural institutions, museums, galleries, art universities, and associations of artists and art critics that initiate cooperation within the context of the Three Seas Initiative. Partners aim to support each other in conducting research on culture and art. They are working on jointly organizing the cyclical Three Seas Art Festival, scheduled to commence in 2025, as a biennial event visiting various locations in the region. This level of cooperation aims to facilitate the integration of the region’s societies and foster an appreciation for cultural diversity and a shared identity. The initiative is open and polycentric, operating in the spirit of pluralism, mutual curiosity, and friendship. The perspective of the European Union and the logic of EU structural cohesion are crucial to the project. Additionally, it is important for partners to research and improve educational and cultural policies, as well as culture-related public services, in individual 3SI countries. 3SICCN views the sphere of art, design, education, and creative industries not only as a space for public diplomacy but also as an important sector of the region’s economy, strongly influencing the lives of citizens and covering a significant financial volume.

Founding members:

University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Poland, National Museum of Contemporary Art MNAC Bucharest, Romania, Slovak Natinal Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia, The Peter Michal Bohúň Gallery in Liptov Region, Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia, Olomouc Museum of Art – Central European Forum, Olomouc, Czech Republic, MUFO Museum of Photography in Krakow, Poland, Center for Documentation of the Art of Tadeusz Kantor CRICOTEKA, Krakow, Poland, Three Seas Art Foundation, Krakow, Poland, acb Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, Center for Contemporary Art, Graz, Austria, AICA International, Paris, France, Vytautas Magnus University, Education Academy, Vilnius, Lithuania, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, Kyiv, Ukraine, Lviv National Academy of Arts, Lviv, Ukraine, Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece.

JEAN-MARC POINSOT - NOTES SUR L'EXPOSITION ET SES ACTEURS

Delve into the vibrant world of contemporary art with Jean-Marc Poinsot's latest publication, "NOTES SUR L'EXPOSITION ET SES ACTEURS". Poinsot, a distinguished critic and art historian, offers profound insights into the past two decades through his discerning commentary on selected works and exhibitions.

Unravelling the critical significance of art pieces addressing societal issues, Poinsot's analysis sheds light on the evolving landscape of the arts. From the visionary works of Daniel Buren, Michel Parmentier, Pierre Huyghe, and Wesley Meuris to the ground breaking exhibitions curated by figures like Jan Leering, Harald Szeemann, Laurent Le Bon, and Jens Hoffmann, this book encapsulates the essence of contemporary art across iconic cities including Paris, New York, London, Cassel, and Venice.

• Price: €27 • Pages: 188 • Language: French • Dimensions: 6 x 9 inches • Published on: November 22, 2023 by Hermann • ISBN: 9791037031204

Now available for purchase on our website.

BETWEEN ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL DISASTER

PROBLEMS OF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Olomouc Museum of Art – Central European Forum + National Gallery Prague online workshop on the CEAD platform: 19 04 2024

On the occasion of the exhibition ELEVACE Zděnek Beran: Rehabilitation Department of Dr. Dr., the Central European Forum Olomouc and the National Gallery in Prague invite you to participate in an international colloquium dedicated to the preservation and presentation of works from the context of contemporary art. The meeting is intended for practitioners, restorers, conservators, curators and art historians or anthropologists specializing specifically in the field of contemporary art, problematic ma- terials and ephemeral art forms. However, it has a natural historical dimension – the question of preservation, reconstruction or presentation of art environments cannot, of course, be limited to the last few decades. Trends associated with the material turn on the one hand. The performative turn on the other, the rise of poststructuralist strategies, as well as the increasingly complex rethinking of relations between individual actors across scholarly discourses, are generalizing and developing the field of art history in ways that have obvious and direct implications for a range of social practices or practices.

The imaginary motto of the meeting is one of the first complex environments created in the Central European space, the Rehabilitation Department of Dr. Dr., created in his studio at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s by Czech painter and visual artist, a member of the unofficial scene and later professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Zdeněk Beran (1937–2014). The work, on the borderline between installation, sculp- tural realisation and abstracted spatial painting, went through three dramatic phases with an almost biblical subtext: it was placed in a grave (1993–1994), then removed (1997) and reinstalled in a museum setting (2000/2023). It is precisely this symbolic “elevation”, i.e. not only physical but also meaningful preservation in the actual spacetime, imagination and mentality, that is the key condition for the existence of an artwork.

Due to the importance of such interdisciplinary meetings, which offer the opportunity to view a given topic or realisation from multiple perspectives, the programme is divided into two stages – the first meeting will take place online at the Central European Database in April 2024, the second will then be organised taking into account the results obtained and the degree of synergies. The aim is to create a vibrant and functional network, capable of responding to the challenges faced by specific institutions or individuals. The long-established New Media Museums programme, focusing on new media art and working with advanced technologies, is a model for this.

We welcome contributions from individuals and groups, with a primary interest in the field of contemporary art, but prepared with an awareness of the general categories of theory and practice of conservation and restoration of complex art environments. The program will consist of separate panels, organized by theme, time and subject matter, and consisting of contributions of standard length (20 minutes).

ABSTRACTS OF UP TO 500 WORDS, WITH A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR(S), SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY 30 03 2024, TO SEFO@MUO.CZ. THE LANGUAGE OF THE COLLOQUIUM IS ENGLISH.

Labour Conditions in the Arts / Conditions de travail dans les arts / Condiciones laborales en el sector artístico

Dear members,

AICA International invites you to take part in an anonymous survey developed by Elli Leventaki, Mary Mikaelyan, and Omar Mirza, intending to map work conditions of art critics throughout the world and understand the diverse spectrum of jobs that they do.

This project was initiated during the 55th AICA Congress in Kraków, Poland as part of the AICA Academy programme, organised by Mathilde Roman with the support of AICA Poland, and implemented with the guidance of Sonia Recasens.
For any inquiries please contact us at: aicalabour@gmail.com

---

Che.è.r.e.s membres,

AICA International vous invite à répondre à une enquête anonyme élaborée par Elli Leventaki, Mary Mikaelyan et Omar Mirza, dans le but de cartographier les conditions de travail des critiques d’art à travers le monde et de comprendre la diversité des emplois qu'ils.elles occupent.

Ce projet a été lancé lors du 55ème Congrès de l'AICA à Cracovie, en Pologne, dans le cadre du programme AICA Academy, organisé par Mathilde Roman avec le soutien de l’AICA Pologne et mis en œuvre avec les conseils de Sonia Recasens.

Pour toute question, veuillez nous contacter à l'adresse suivante: aicalabour@gmail.com

---

Estimados miembros,

AICA Internacional le invita a participar en una encuesta anónima desarrollada por Elli Leventaki, Mary Mikaelyan, y Omar Mirza, con la intención de mapear las condiciones laborales de los críticos de arte de todo el mundo y entender el diverso espectro de trabajos que realizan.

Este proyecto se inició durante el 55º Congreso de la AICA en Cracovia, Polonia, como parte del programa de la Academia AICA, organizado por Mathilde Roman y el apoyo de AICA Polonia, e implementado con la orientación de Sonia Recasens.

Para cualquier consulta, póngase en contacto con nosotros en: aicalabour@gmail.com

Codladh sámh Ciarán

Ciarán Bennett sadly died on 15 February 2024 after a long illness, aged 68. He was a member of AICA since 1994 and served as President of AICA Ireland Section for two terms and AICA International Vice-President.

He spearheaded the AICA World Congress in 2009 “The Relations between Art and Science: Complicity, Criticality, Knowledge” at Dublin Castle and regularly attended AICA meetings in Paris, a city he knew and loved very much.

His art education began at Dun Laoghaire Art School (now IADT) in the late 70s, taking on further studies in in Paris, Florence and Bath. Following a stint living and working in Thailand and travelling around Asia, in 1994 he returned to Ireland and began working as an art critic. As well as freelance writing, he also served at the art critic for the Irish Architect, journal of the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland from 1995-2000. During his career he also wrote for wrote for Brooklyn Rail, Artnet, Circa Art Magazine, Art Criticism, and the Irish Arts Review and several other publications.

He curated several exhibitions including shows at the National Print Museum, Solstice Arts Centre, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, often advising artists and galleries selections and installations. His exhibition at IMMA "A Vision of Modern Art in Memory of Dorothy Walker" was made in commemoration of the art critic, writer and founding IMMA Board member Dorothy Walker. He wrote for the catalogue which also includes an essay by Donald Kuspit.

He had a keen interest in the postwar inauguration of AICA which led to in his book "James Johnson Sweeney: The Poetry of Vision in the Twilight of Modernism" published in 2017. This book has made a very valuable contribution to awareness of the art politics that lay behind ROSC, modern Irish Art and AICA early years. He received the Pollock Krasner Research Fellowship for this project and spent several years researching which took his to many places including New York, Houston, and Ibiza.

He wrote essays and reviews of numerous artists who include: Francis Bacon, Joseph Beuys, Martina Coyle, Gary Coyle, Fiona Dowling, Denis Farrell, Kathy Herbert, Cor Klassen, Brian Maguire, Paul Moss, Janet Mullareny, Cóilín Murray, Alan Phelan, Amanda Ralph, Bridget Riley, Vivienne Roche, Sean Scully, Katherine Shankey, John Noel Smith, Mario Sughi, Charles Tyrell, and many others.

Other projects include work with Suzanne Anker & Frank Gillette which led him to be keynote speaker at the conference Molecular Cuisine: The Politics of Taste at the School of Visual Arts, New York. He also appeared on an Irish language television programme called Dullamullóg as the art critic charged with assessing contestant craft workers.

As Noel Kelly said at his funeral service: "for those who really knew Ciarán, they will know of his great heart, his generosity, his complete lack of guile or deceit. Ciarán was always the genuine character. His unapologetic use of words, his incredible range of knowledge and half-remembered stories put him in direct lineage to Ireland’s greatest in terms of the use of language. And yet, he also hungered to know more, whilst maybe a “bit” dismissive about the constant repetition of trends and tropes or the lack of education and learning in the world, but his mind was always interested in knowing more. Not a superficial knowledge, but the why and where, and when it all became too much, the familiar wave of the hand, toss of the head, were signals that Ciarán was ready to move on."

Codladh sámh Ciarán.

CRITIQUE D'ART 61 : Actualité internationale de la littérature critique sur l’art des XXe et XXIe siècles

Actualité internationale de la littérature critique sur l’art des XXe et XXIe siècles - Automne/hiver 2023

Au sommaire
L'art face à la double question écologique et technologique | Ce que l'IA générative fait à l'histoire de l'art | Les usages du paysage | Les artistes coréens aujourd'hui | La culture visuelle du Punk | Culture pop et art | Epistémologies queer : entretien exclusif avec Julia Bryan-Wilson | Les artistes de l'Est congolais face aux urgences socio-environnementales | L'art juif et la critique | L'archive, le corps et le hasard dans le travail de Dayanita Singh

Portrait
Lucy R. Lippard

Autrices et auteurs au sommaire
Julia Bryan-Wilson | Jill Gasparina | Alexandre Gefen | Emmanuel Guy | Jana Johanna Haeckel | Tom Holert | Marynet J. | Bona Park | Marine Schütz | Maria Stavrinaki | Roberto Tejada | Avishag Zafrani | David Zerbib

Revue imprimée – 200 pages – Bilingue (FR/EN)

20 euros l'unité

ISBN 978-2-9506293-3-3

Détail des tarifs d’abonnement : ici

8 356 notices bibliographiques et 4 361 recensions critiques en ligne sur journals.openedition.org/critiquedart

SEMINARIO EN LÍNEA: Bienales internacionales como escenarios de confluencias, modernismo y contemporaneidad en Sudamérica

III WEBINARIO: Las bienales como escenario de confluencia de arte y crítica

En el panorama artístico latinoamericano, las bienales representan un evento de modernización e internacionalización. El primero apareció en 1951. y fue la Bienal de Sao Paulo, Brasil. Hoy la bienal sigue siendo un acontecimiento importante en el país y en la región para la escena contemporánea y para el campo de la crítica de arte.

El tercer webinario enfocado esta vez en Sudamérica tendrá lugar el 14 de marzo a las 6 pm (Hora de Sao Paulo) con la participación de Florencia Battiti (Argentina), Hernán Pacurucu (Ecuador) y Lisbeth Rebollo (Brasil) bajo la moderación de Fernando Farina (Argentina).

Hay tiempo para registrarse hasta el 4 de marzo escribiendo al correo: aicainternational.webinar@gmail.com.

---

III WEBINAR: Biennials as a setting for the confluence of art and criticism

In the Latin American art scene, biennials represent an event of modernization and internationalization. The first appeared in 1951 and was the Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil. Today the biennial continues to be an important event in the country and the region for the contemporary scene and the field of art criticism.

The third webinar, focused this time on South America, will take place on March 14 at 6 pm (Sao Paulo Time) with the participation of Florencia Battiti (Argentina), Hernán Pacurucu (Ecuador), and Lisbeth Rebollo (Brazil), under the moderation of Fernando Farina (Argentina).

Register by March 4 by sending an email to aicainternational.webinar@gmail.com.

RUPTURED HISTORIES: THE STREET - DYNAMIC DECOLONISATION BY THE PEOPLE

RUPTURED HISTORIES is a series of Web Symposiums presented by AICA International (The Association of International Art Critics), on the initiative of the Fellowship Fund Committee. This third iteration of Ruptured Histories has the support of AICA Germany and AICA Lithuania.

DATE: Friday 23 February 2024

TIME: 15.00 (CET); 09.00 (EST)

DURATION: 2 hours

Ruptured Histories is open to AICA members and non-members, students and academics, worldwide. There is no charge for attending.

To subscribe to the Web Symposium please send an e-mail to: aicainternational.webinar@gmail.com

You will receive a link 24 hours before the event.

---

RUPTURED HISTORIES: CRITICAL EXCHANGES ON ISSUES OF DECOLONISATION

The Ruptured Histories Project brings together a multiplicity of strands of the global debate on Decolonisation to enable us to investigate it from different geographical and cultural vantage points. Decolonising has been defined as the process of deconstructing colonial ideologies, attitudes, mechanisms of power, of superiority, and privilege of Western thought and approach. The awareness created by activist critiques in post- colonial debates and Subaltern studies has today evolved into proactive Decolonisation to address a range of issues. In this context, it’s important to understand that Decolonisation has a history beyond the 21st Century academic discourse and critical practice, as it has long been an integral part of the anti-colonial resistance and a vital part of the national consciousness of post- colonial nations.

Original concept: Niilofur Farrukh and Anselmo Villata

AICA International’s Fellowship Fund Committee now launches the third in this series of webinars on the complex history and legacy of colonisation and current policies of decolonisation in art criticism, exhibiting and collecting.

‘Ruptured Histories: The Street - Dynamic Decolonisation by the People’.

This webinar will investigate the informal Decolonisation process where new histories are being written on the street and public spaces. In the last few years we have seen the removal of, or intervention in, statues and monuments from the public space. These interventions are made by artists and the general populace in rejection of official narratives. These actions reveal how public memory is asserting itself to de- glorify the colonial past and its heroes and echo similar actions that followed the independence of post-colonial nations when physical remnants of the past were relocated and re-contextualised. This webinar addresses the interventions of artists and public as an important part of the discourse of Decolonisation. A discourse that is relevant in many countries.

“Destruction, Creation and Solidarity” : Saturday, February 10, 14.00, Online

On the anniversary of the earthquake disaster that occurred on February 6, 2023, the International Association of Art Critics Turkey (AICA Turkey) is organizing an online meeting titled "Destruction, Creation and Solidarity" together with artists, cultural workers and academics living in the cities affected by the earthquake, on Saturday, February 10, at  14.00. 

The event proposes to discuss the tragic dimension of the disaster, the memory erased by the earthquake and its aftermath, through the eyes of writers, artists and academics who experienced the earthquake and witnessed its consequences closely,  to envision the future together while keeping that memory alive.

"Destruction, Creation and Solidarity" focuses on artists' post-disaster experiences in the earthquake zone. The meeting invites art and cultural workers to discuss the possibility of suggestions and ways to continue producing where they left off and to produce despite everything.

“Destruction, Creation and Solidarity” Saturday, February 10, 14.00, Online

Speakers: Ali Uğur Ummo (Hatay Academy Symphony Orchestra), Edip Yeşil (Antakya Art Association), Hicran Aslan, İlker Cihan Biner¸ Kenan Nuraydın, Lal Laleş (Diyarbakır Literature House), Merve Karataş (Nar Sanat), Mehmet Fahracı, Tuğçe Tezer (Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University),

*Simultaneous translation from Turkish to English will be provided during the event.

Meeting ID: 927 7254 9014

Passcode: 846338

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW PRESIDENT OF AICA INTERNATIONAL

Małgorzata Kaźmierczak Ph.D. in History. Since 2004, an independent curator of art projects in Poland and the USA, especially performance art events. Researcher and author of many essays and reviews. Between 2011-2014 – editor, writer and translator of livinggallery portal; 2006–2012 – president of the Foundation for the Promotion of Performance Art “Kesher” in Kraków, Poland; 2012–2014 – managing editor of the Art and Documentation journal; 2014–2016 – director of the City Art Gallery of Kalisz, Poland. Between 2016–2017 – editor-in-chief of the Publishing House and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Painting and New Media of the Art Academy of Szczecin, Poland. Currently, an Assistant Professor at the University of the National Education Commission in Kraków and Head of the Board of the Art Studies Discipline.
Between 2020-2024, vice-president of AICA Poland, 2021-2023 vice of president of AICA International.  

Statement on Freedom of Expression in Republic of Slovakia

Paris, January 30th, 2024

International Art Critics Association (AICA) is alarmed at the recent actions that undermine the autonomy of cultural institutions and freedom of expression in the Republic of Slovakia. Unfortunately, these actions are being carried out under the directive of the Ms Simkovicova, Minister of Culture. All such violations are unacceptable by AICA and all organizations that support the UNESCO Charter of Freedom of Expression.

AICA is a representative body of art critics based in Paris since the 1940s. It is active across the world with 9000 members in 95 countries. One of its objectives is to protect the ethical and professional rights of its members and defend impartiality and freedom of artistic expression worldwide. The Censorship and Freedom of Expression Committee of AICA actively monitors cases of censorship and human rights abuse in the art community and with the support of its members, registers protest against all violations.

AICA endorses the appeal circulated by Slovak art critics, artists, academics and curators, and expresses concern at the arbitrary merger of Kunsthalle Bratislava with Slovak National Gallery, an action that has been widely criticized for its impact on the professional standing and programming freedom of the Kunsthalle Bratislava.

AICA urges the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Slovakia, to put an immediate stop to the non-transparent dismissal or pressure for the resignation on the heads of the institutions under her Ministry.

The censorship of programmes and political appointment of incompetent professionals will have a detrimental effect on the development of art and culture in Slovakia and erode creative freedom at art and cultural institutions.
AICA hopes that this statement of protest will serve as a reminder that the actions to politicize and de-professionalize institutions are unethical and unacceptable by art professionals across the world.

On behalf of AICA

Malgorzata Kazmierczak, President of AICA International

Niilofur Farrukh, Chair of the Censorship Committee

The statement is also available as a PDF file by clicking HERE.