Recent political events have pointed to the fragility of social, cultural and international ties. Amidst the current reactivation of separations in Europe and elsewhere, artists and curators are testing new ways of making connections, variously challenging the social binaries resulting from divisive politics and polarizations. Given the re-emergence of nationalism and the resulting antagonism in Europe and elsewhere, the criteria of collective creation seem ripe for re-evaluation. Through a series of conversations the symposium explores artistic practices bound by specific moments of precariousness. What are the ramifications of political turmoil, social division, and marginalization for art and artists working outside the gallery space? What projects arise when artists and curators involve themselves in grassroots initiatives, activism, and inclusive cultural production? And can they make a difference when politics fail?

The aim of this one-day symposium is to explore the political-aesthetic thinking and the realities involved in art projects that bring people together, that create dialogue and shared spaces, and that find small-scale solutions for global challenges.

The following speakers will be participating in the programme:

Marc Bauer (Artist), Kathrin Böhm (Artist)
Emily Druiff (Peckham Platform, Executive Director)
Alistair Hudson (Director mima - Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art)
Loring McAlpin (filmmaker and founding member of Gran Fury)
Barby Asante (Artist)
Mark Terkessidis (Author, member of the Academy of the Arts of the World),
Wato Tsereteli (Director, Center of Contemporary Art Tbilisi)

Outline of the symposium:

10.00 Introduction by Michaela Crimmin (co-director of Culture+Conflict and lecturer at Royal College of Art) and Marcel Bleuler (artasfoundation)
10.15 Loring McAlpin (filmmaker and founding member of Gran Fury) and Raphael Gygax (Frieze Projects) in conversation
11.10 Coffee break
11.30 Mark Terkessidis (author and member of the Academy of the Arts of the World) and Marcel Bleuler in conversation
12.00 Alistair Hudson (currently Director of Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and soon to be Director of the Whitworth and Manchester Art Galleries) and Barby Asante (artist) in conversation, chaired by Michaela Crimmin
1.00 Lunch break
2.00 Wato Tsereteli (Director, Center of Contemporary Art Tbilisi)
3.00 Tea break
3.20 Emily Druiff (Executive Director of Peckham Platform), Kathrin Böhm (artist) and Marc Bauer (artist) in conversation, chaired by Michaela Crimmin
4.30 Closing comments from audience and speakers, chaired by Raphael Gygax, Michaela Crimmin and Marcel Bleuler
4.45 Reception

Programmed by Marcel Bleuler (artasfoundation), Michaela Crimmin (Culture+Conflict and Royal College of Art) and Raphael Gygax (Frieze Projects)

Working Across Divides is the second in a series of three symposia initiated and organised by Frieze Projects and Goethe-Institut London.

We thank Arts Council England and the Embassy of Switzerland in the United Kingdom for their additional support.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the film. We regret that we cannot offer cloakroom facilities at the Goethe-Institut. May we respectfully ask you not to bring large bags and cases when you visit. We reserve the right to check all bags brought onto the premises for security reasons. Thank you.

Frieze Projects is supported by the LUMA foundation.