Perspectives on conceptual art in Eastern Europe / Round Table

The roundtable is a platform for discussing aspects concerning the conceptual art pratices in two areas from the former Eastern Bloc. Conceptualism in the neo-avantgarde shaped under the totalitarian regimes in Eastern Europe is still a significant topic to be analysed and contextualised even after over 30 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Following the relevance of ”situated knowledge” (Donna Haraway) and the ambiguities in socialism and post-socialism (Jill Massino) in the process of acknowledging multiple voices against a dominant narrative, questions around the past as well as the present experiences, around aesthetics and influences, art and politics, freedom and control, memory and archives, individual and collective work, the coexistence of despair and hope will be raised. 

The event is an opportunity for dialogue between artists who were active in the 1970s and 1980s in Romania and Czechoslovakia, who shared common ideas and interests, but have never been in direct contact with each other. 

Roundtable hosted with the support of Pragovka Gallery in the context of the exhibition A Spring of Hope A Winter of Despair curated by Olivia Nițiș, organised by Contrasens Association from Romania.

Speakers: Decebal Scriba (RO), Marilena Preda Sânc (RO), Jiří Kovanda (CZ), Vladimír Havlík (CZ), Jana Písaříková (CZ)

Moderator and speaker: Olivia Nițiș (RO).