SITAC Aesthetic Imagination in the Face of Chaos

Aesthetic Imagination in the Face of Chaos

It is impossible to count all examples of the interest artist have with destruction— whether real or imaginary —as a narrative subject or as a hypothesis for a political statement. The fascination on crisis situations in all the domains of culture is rather evident as well, as if even while finding moments of relative stability these were always fleeting and at times unwanted for the ends of the medias unrelenting enjoyment. It would seem that over the last fifty years we have journeyed from the pathos of the expressionistic artist to the ethical character of politically engaged art. The arts can make sense as a form of survival and resistance in the face of extreme violence or generalized crisis, but can also be a place of contemplation and teratological recycling of the mass media. In this session we will inquire into the elusive and problematic position of current art amidst the forceful and unfathomable reality of its context.