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| © Mikael Olsson |
Since your exhibition “Altermodern” at Tate Britain in 2009, followed by your last book “ The Radicant” (Sternberg Press), how would you analyze the reception of your “Altermodern” concept on the world of art?
It took a few years for « Relational aesthetics » to be really discussed. The first text had been written in 1995, to give you a time scale. If I refer to the blogosphere and the discussions I have with students, artists or curators all around the world, the set of thesis contained in « The Radicant » is slowly progressing in the heads, especially in Latin or Central America, where the concept of altermodernity is often quoted against the frame of mind developed by the theoreticians of the post-colonial. The Altermodern appears as an alternative to the essentialist, or even sometimes pro-authoritarian, theory of decolonialism. At least, the book makes people think about a possible way out from the binary systems (North/south, colonized/ colons, etc…) perpetuated by the postmodern.
How do see the actual evolution of art? Do you think there is an aesthetic and cultural change since the economic crisis of 2008?
I have tried to analyze the crisis almost « live », first in my text for the catalogue of the « Altermodern » exhibition at the Tate in february 2009, and I could see in the recent exhibitions the same threads I developed then : the generalisation of « chained » compositions, a culture of mental precariousness, the spatialization of time.
What is your (personal) point of view on the actual revolution in North Africa?
As I was attacked last year by the tenants of decolonisation, about the fact that China or Iran were perfectly right to refuse « western » democracy in the name of their « specific » way to handle politics, i.e in the name of their right to defend themselves against a « colonial » ideology of human rights, I am happy to see that the local people share my views in Lybia, Egypt or Tunisia : dictatorial regimes, wherever they are, are not « anti-western », they only are an abomination. Universally. Yes, I used the word. Why are those populations attracted by such horrible « western theories » on freedom ? A closer look at history would show us that they are not that « western », after all…
In “The Radicant”, you quote the philosopher Slavoj Zizek. Do you agree with him when he’s saying that we’re “Living in the end of times”?
Some of his colleagues shared the same idea, back in the year 970. What is interesting, beyond rhetorics, is the argumentation : why would be « at the end of times » ? Which level of temporality - are we talking about art, politics, democracy ? Today, I feel more interested by beginnings, as the postmodern thought has worn out the « end » as a theme. What are the germs of a new situation, the avant-couriers of a new set of ideas ? This would rather be my problematics.
The polish artist Arthur Zmijewski will be the curator of the next Berlin Biennale 2012, in his Open Call he asked the artists about their political position. Do you think that art should be more political?
It is highly interesting to know about today’s artists political position. But I don’t want to be taken into hostage : if the work is bad, do you really think the political ideas of an artist is relevant? I care as a citizen, not as a curator. In a way, the next Berlin Biennial is pushing to its limits the politically corrrect, putting the art community in front of its ambiguity : have political opinions become the center of the aesthetic judgment ? Sometimes, I think so, especially when I see a very weak project exhibited in a biennial for the sake of its commitment towards such or such issue.
As a curator and writer, how would you define your political position?
I am personally partisan of a « radical democracy », as Chantal Mouffe puts it.
The original mistake of the communist revolution, in 1917, was not to consider Karl Marx and Max Stirner together. Basically, I think that education, culture, transports, health, or basic supplies like electricity or water, for instance, are some sectors of the economy which should be totally or partly set apart from competition, and regulated by the public sphere. But this public sphere should also be rethought, and internationalized when it comes to environmental issues, in a broad sense.
What will be your next project?
As I currently occupy a position in the french administration of culture, I cannot curate exhibitions for the moment. But through this position, I had Okwui Enwezor invited to curate the Paris Triennial in 2012. I work on the transformations and the extension of the Palais de Tokyo, and in general towards the openness of the french system. I am also writing a new book on art and politics, whose Ariadne thread will be the works of Louis Althusser and Walter Benjamin.
Nevertheless, I accepted to be the guest curator for the Athens Biennial 2011, next november, whose form will be quite unusual : it will be a feature film, shot during the opening days, including comedians and artists in the same plot. Its main character will be a reincarnated Walter Benjamin, who will have to deal with the current greek crisis and deal with ghosts from History. With this open system, a kind of huge happening which spreads out as a film, I am trying to propose an alternative to the « big exhibition » : more collective, and also more articulated. I develop a scenario within the city, and the whole biennial will be cut into pieces all over Athens.
Have you ever been in Mudam or Casino Luxembourg? / Do you know the cultural life of Luxembourg?
Yes, to both. But it has been a few years now. I have to visit Enrico...
Interview by Filip Markiewicz
Interview by Filip Markiewicz
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