The event series Politik der Institution/Institutional Politics deals with the social role of contemporary art institutions. Until the 1990s, traditional places of art communication were suspected of preventing critical impulses within the arts and fitting them into a bourgeoise educational canon. In reaction to this, artists founded institutions such as Künstlerhaus to create open spaces for the presentation of experimental practices.

In view of an increasingly powerful market, museums and art galleries seem to gain more freedom today. Although they are integrated within urban representation systems, they facilitate participation in general conflicts and can be used as space for critical projects. The focus of the event series lies on strategies to conceptualize exhibitions and public discussion forums, especially regarding the consequences and opportunities for institutions such as Künstlerhaus.

Emily Pethick (Casco Utrecht) and Rodrigo Mallea Lira (Tensta Konsthall) present two examples of art institutions that have remodeled their program in a way that combines creative and social movements. While Tensta Konsthall focuses on an activation of its immediate surroundings, Casco pursues a transdisciplinary theory construction. Within a conversation, architectural theorists Shumon Basar and Pelin Tan will discuss constructional demands of new contemporary art institutions and the difficulty of promoting social interaction. In collaboration with Württembergischen Kunstverein, Jochen Becker and Julien Enoka-Ayemba will present the project series From/To Europe, that deals with Europe’s colonial history and the power of writing that history.