Global Activism, a new episode of the political art movement, soon at the ZKM

The aim austrian artist, curator and theoretican Peter Weibel declares he wants to achieve with the upcoming “Global activism” at ZKM in Karlsruhe is probably too ambitious: “to show global activism as the first new art form of the 21^st century”. There are many art forms, in any epoch, and it would be difficult to say exactly which is the firs one, especially with no number available. Nevertheless, the path Weibel and his colleagues at the ZKM decided to follow is more than interesting.

 

The step forward the ZKM is proposing will probably set a new important episode of the fracture between the art market and what is now outside that art market. The last “occupied” Berlin Biennial – dedicated to artists and movements involved in the social critics and in opposition with a certain idea of the art system – and the ethic frame in which the last Triennial of the Palais de Tokyo was conceived by curator Okwui Enwezor can probably be considered as the two main recent steps of this trend. In this regard, the Istanbul Biennial 2013 has been a missed chance. That was due, as insiders report, to the pressure that seems to have been exerted on the curators by the Government and the financial supporters involved in the show.

 

This statement taken from the introduction text signed by Weibel underlines this latter point: “although the curators of large-scale art events, such as the documenta 13 or the Biennale di Venezia, 2013, take flight into untimely esotericism and occultism, the art system also displays a large movement of non-governmental art (NGA). Expressing criticism of politics, economics, church, institutions clearly continues to be – also in the apparently enlightened and liberal 21st century – neither self-evident nor broadly accepted – also not in the West. Today, artes liberales – the art of the free citizen is attributed a new global significance”.

 

Probably “Global activism” will be neither the first nor the last art movement of the 21^st century, but questioning the role of public art institution in the art system is something necessary, especially nowadays. A brand new mass of free information provided by the social networks is shaping art and creativity, and various elements are reacting to this force, from museum to private galleries. The Global “art” activism is certainly a good lens trough which to look at this phenomenon.

July 15, 2015