UNDER PRESSURE
Response and Responsibility of a Biennale

Under Pressure – Debate from Platform Beeldende Kunst on Vimeo.
May 17th, Witte de With, Rotterdam
With the upcoming opening of Manifesta 10 in St. Petersburg, Russia, it has become vital to (re)investigate what roles and responsibilities large international exhibitions such as these have, within but also beyond the cultural field. What position can or should an organizer take against local democratic restraints, even censorship? Can one retain a critical position within these restraints or is any form of dialogue a priori meaningless when it is put under pressure by political and religious ideology? Looking at these questions from different perspectives, the symposium Under Pressure – Response and Responsibility of a Biennale, organized by Platform BK, aims to examine what lessons can be learned from recent events and discussions and how we can envision the future of exhibiting art in a globalized world.
Speakers:

• Hedwig Fijen, director Manifesta
• Ahmet Öğüt, visual artist and participant of the former Istanbul and Sydney Biennales
• Vesna Madzoski, researcher, curator, and author of De Cvratoribvs. The Dialectics of Care and Confinement

Programme
14.00 Doors open
14.30 Opening word by Rune Peitersen, director Platform Beeldende Kunst
14.45 Hedwig Fijen, director Manifesta Biennial
15.30 Ahmet Öğüt, visual artist and participant of the former Istanbul and Sydney Biennales
16.15 Coffee break
16.45 Vesna Madzoski, researcher, curator, and author of De Cvratoribvs. The Dialectics of Care and Confinement
17.30 Panel discussion moderated by Saskia Van Stein
18.30 Drinks
20.00 End/doors closed

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Under Pressure is made possible with the kind support of the Mondriaan Fund and the members of Platform BK.