The arts are generally seen as having the capacity to portray things in their complexity, making associations between the views and interests of individuals and general discourse in such a way that conflicts are not avoided, but recognised in their social significance, and channelled to function in a productive way. However, during this process the specific constraints and conflicts underlying the production of art are often left unmentioned.
The series of performative events conceived by Joanna Warsza go back to the idea of ‘performative democracy’ as formulated by the Polish sociologist Elzbieta Matynia. Here, Matynia describes an authentic dimension of democracy, dependent upon local factors, which illustrates to people the political potential of their modes of behaviour and statements.
But in how far is it possible to live democracy? How can art sharpen our critical perception and the forming of our opinions, and how can it contribute towards implementing social and political power of action whilst incorporating our own involvement? In collaboration with the artists Alexandra Pirici, Ulf Aminde and Pablo Helguera, classic cultural practices such as rhetoric, orchestral music and the art of the memorial are examined for their potential in the sense of performative democracy.
›Performative Democracy‹ is a part of Responsive Subjects, a project in which the Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig (GfZK) collaborates with James Langdon (Birmingham), Joanna Warsza (Warsaw/Berlin) and Kateřina Šedá (Brno).
