When Decisions Become Art
To self-organise and make decisions is nothing new to artists. Artistic independence and autonomy are inherited concepts – defendable and questionable at the same time. But what does this independence actually mean when it comes to making decisions: about who art is for, why we make it, and who benefits from it? Each artist can decide how their work relates to others. Every decision supports or undermines existing conventions and systems – not always in an explicit or revolutionary manner – but steadily.
When Decisions Become Art is a loosely collective and self-organised public programme on the topic of self-determination and self-organisation in the art world. It will operate through a mixture of discursive, practical, social and propositional formats: including presentations, seminars, the mapping of local and international initiatives, cooking sessions and DIY publishing. The operational question of ‘how to organise’ will be expanded to a political one, by issuing a call to (re-)consider the desired relationship between art and society.
The different elements of the programme have been developed since May 2019, through a series of workshops and conversations between Kathrin Böhm and artists and students from the Academy of Fine Art in Nuremberg. For the duration of When Decisions Become Art the kunstbunker – itself the result of 25 years of artist led self-organisation – will become a public space and open platform to experiment. Suggestions and questions can be sent by e-mail, or introduced in person.
The evolving programme, and any new contributors, will be published on the kunstbunker website, or can be seen on Instagram @decisionsbecomeart
Contributors to date include the current board and gallery team of the kunstbunker, Elke Haarer, Judith Grobe and Gergana Todorova from Kunst – Transfer – Praxis, the Academy of Fine Art, Alessandra Saviotti and the Arte Útil Archive, N.Ort, Stephen Wright, Heidi Sill, Susanne Dundler, Kuba Szreder, Gavin Wade und Grace Ndiritu.
