When we think about the arts and how we see and experience them in a wider cultural field, one is required to acknowledge the increasing impact of what can be subsumed under neo-liberal globalisation. By this, I mean a revival of free market economic policies combined with its rapid diffusion around the world. This dynamic has had for a long time, and continues to have, profound socio-structural and cultural consequences that significantly impact the arts. The intensified commercialisation and increase of rigid hierarchies have created on one hand an exponential growth of the arts into a full blown industry beyond anything it has ever been. On the other hand, a structure has evolved that seems to be a radical contradiction to ideas of experimentation, criticality and any non-capitalist form of organization which had been crucial elements of the arts in the past.

Therefore, in this segment of DORMANCY, we will take a closer look at the impact of this development (the commercialisation and market dynamics in relation to the arts) by asking: how has this created realities that have led to an exhausting situation that an increasing number of contributors to the art field experience as a form of burn-out? This situation creates a phenomenon that is hardly discussed or even addressed in the art field itself: exiting the arts. Stepping out of the arts as a consequence of these developments is a radical gesture. While it is something that does happen continuously, it indicates a variety of severe changes in the art field and industry that are worth looking at.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Marc Glöde (PhD) is a curator, critic and film scholar. His work focuses on the relationship between images, technology, space, and the body, as well as the dynamics between fields such as art/architecture, art/film, and film/architecture. He received his PhD at The Free University of Berlin and has taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, the FU Berlin, Academy of Fine Arts Berlin, and was Assistant Professor at the ETH Zürich. Since 2017, he is an Assistant Professor at NTU ADM, Singapore, and Co-Director of the MA in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices. 

Presented by H0thouse, as part of their 3-day virtual symposium titled In Suspension from 21-23 January 2022. Visit their website for the full programme.