9 November 2022

Congress in Berlin and Bonn:
Akademie der Künste and Bundeskunsthalle discuss
the Future of Critique

18 – 19 November 2022, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
24 – 26 November 2022, Akademie der Künste, Berlin

The erosion of critique in the arts, caused by far-reaching changes in the use of media, job cuts in publishing houses and programming changes in public broadcasting, has been lamented for years. Just at a time when the monopolies of criticism have been broken and individual perspectives are finally being given broader scope, criticism is experiencing its greatest crisis. Today, every theatre, every museum, every scientific institute is expected to explain and promote its work – while independent mediation, contextualisation and evaluation are disappearing with the general media. This is the point of departure for the congress “The Future of Critique”, which takes stock of the changing functions of the public sphere, institutions and society, and re-defines the role, value and possibilities of critisism.

How is digitisation changing culture and its institutions? Does social media make everyone a producer? What space is left to the judgement of experts? What can be accomplished by critique, and what can be accomplished by the arts? 90 international guests from the fields of the visual arts, architecture, film, literature, music, theatre and the media will discuss the future of critique and the public sphere over the course of five days in Bonn and Berlin.

The congress was the born out of discussions with members of all sections of the Akademie der Künste and the International Association of Art Critics AICA, with the goal of initiating a long-term redefinition of the role of critique and securing its infrastructure.

Under the title “Exhibiting Critique”, the Archives of the Akademie der Künste will show, from 24 to 26 November 2022, selected examples of critique from the collections of art critics from various genres. This is part of a pilot project developed together with the DFG Research training Group "Cultures of Critique” at the Leuphana University Lüneburg and the Institute for Art and Visual History at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

Participants:
with Cem A. aka @freeze_magazine, Julieta Aranda, Artists at Risk, Elke Bippus, Candice Breitz, Kate Brown, Elke Buhr, Saba-Nur Cheema, Joshua Citarella, Eric D. Clark, Mara Delius, Christian Demand, Nikita Dhawan, Gürsoy Doğtaş, Fernando García-Dory, Ulrike Draesner, Helmut Draxler, Arnold Dreyblatt, Mat Dryhurst, Dorte Lena Eilers, Ines Geipel, Berit Glanz, Julia Grosse, Jörg Heiser, Eva Illouz, Georg Imdahl, Danson Kahyana, Swantje Karich, Jina Khayyer, Robert Kudielka, Angela Lammert, Holger Liebs, Ligna, Julio Linares, Catrin Lorch, Verena Lueken, Niklas Maak, Isabel Mehl, Linn Micklitz, John Miller, Massimiliano Mollona, Jutta Müller-Tamm, Yvette Mutumba, Sara Nabil, Carolin Naujocks, New Models, Anh-Linh Ngo, María Inés Plaza Lazo, Gregor Quack, Hanno Rauterberg, Kolja Reichert, Leonie Reineke, Kathrin Röggla, Zsófia Samodai, Karin Sander, Sabine Scholl, Martin Schüttler, Georg Seeßlen, Barış Seyitvan, Alex Scrimgeour, Noemi Smolik, Beate Söntgen, Klaus Speidel, Hito Steyerl, Rüdiger Suchsland, Cassie Thornton, Wolfgang Ullrich, Senthuran Varatharajah, Julia Voss, Christine Wahl, Wilfried Wang, Julia Wissert, womynofcolors_spacemakers, Dena Yago, Zairong Xiang and others

“The Future of Critique” is a cooperation of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin and Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, and is funded by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Further cooperation with the German section of the International Association of Art Critics AICA, the DFG research training group "Cultures of Critique" at the Leuphana University Lüneburg and the Institute for Art and Visual Studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

Event information
18 – 19 November 2022
Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
Helmut-Kohl-Allee 4, 53113 Bonn
Registration, live stream, programme: www.bundeskunsthalle.de/kritik

24 – 26 November 2022
Akademie der Künste, Berlin
Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Registration, live stream, programme: www.adk.de/kritik

Press tickets / registration for journalists
for Bonn: buchung@bundeskunsthalle.de
for Berlin: presse@adk.de

Press contact
Akademie der Künste, Dorothea Walther, Tel. 030-20057-1531, walther@adk.de
Bundeskunsthalle, Sven Bergmann, Tel. 0228-9171 205, bergmann@bundeskunsthalle.de