LIEVEN GEVAERT RESEARCH CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL STUDIES
Friday 2, Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September 2005

International symposium on

'Critical Realism in Contemporary Art:
Around Allan Sekula's photography'

Critical Realism in Contemporary Art: Around Allan Sekula's photography is
an international symposium organised by the Lieven Gevaert Research Centre
for Photography and Visual Studies (LGC) at the University of Leuven, Belgium.

The symposium focuses on the critical realistic dimension of contemporary
photography in its twofold relation to nineteenth century social realism
on the one hand and to the recent developments in visual culture on the
other hand. One of the main goals of the conference is to create a
dialogue between artistic researchers and theorists. Therefore, besides
contributions of some of the most prominent speakers in the field, there
will be two panel discussions which will give voice not only to the
theorists but also to practitioners of art. One of the central topics will
be the possibility to (re)invent a socio-critical art in a globalised
visual culture. Allan Sekula fulfils a crucial role within this discussion.

The conference opens on Friday, September 2nd at 6.00 p.m. with the world
premiere of Allan Sekula's new film Lottery of the Sea [2005], accompanied
by a keynote lecture by the artist

Other speakers include: William J.T. Mitchell, Catharina Manchanda, Steve
Edwards, David Green, Wouter Davids, Inge Henneman, Steven Jacobs, Maarten
Vanvolsem, Liesbeth Decan, Eva Brems, Frits Gierstberg. The symposium's
chairs and moderators are Hilde Van Gelder and Jan Baetens.

The full programme can be consulted at

http://www.lievengevaertcentre.be/sekula_symposium/index.htm

DATE: September 2,3 and 4, 2005
LOCATION : STUK Arts Centre, Naamsestraat 96, 3000 Leuven
ORGANISATION: Lieven Gevaert Research Centre for Photography and Visual
Studies (LGC) [University of Leuven]

http://www.lievengevaertcentre.be

For more information, contact Ms. Rein Deslé: rein.deslearts.kuleuven.be
or +32 (0)16 32 48 79.

REGISTRATION Entrance is free
Please register by sending an e-mail to: rein.deslearts.kuleuven.be

Related events: Allan Sekula's solo exhibition 'Shipwreck and Workers.
Version 2 For Leuven' (august 22 - September 26, 2005)

5.30 pm Saturday, September 3rd: official inauguration of the exhibition
of new photowork by Allan Sekula in STUK, Naamsestraat 96, 3000 Leuven.

At this occasion, Prof. Dr. Hilde Van Gelder will present the second
volume in the LGC-Series, entitled Constantin Meunier. A dialogue with
Allan Sekula, which she edited. Contributors to the book are Sura Levine,
Marjan Sterckx, Virginie Devillez, Hilde Van Gelder, Eva Brems and Marc De
Vos.

Exhibition : Meunier, a dialogue
April 5 - September 25 2005 - Nineteenth century social realist thought
translated itself into a figurative-realistic painting and sculpture of
which Constantin Meunier was one of the greatest exponents in Belgium. The
exhibition organised by the City Museum of Leuven in cooperation with the
Lieven Gevaert Research Centre for Photography and Visual Studies, under
the title "Meunier, a dialogue". Contemporary art meets Constantin Meunier
in Leuven serves as a pendant to the symposium. Through the confrontation
between Meunier's work and contemporary visual art this exhibition has the
ambition to discover how new forms of social realism are present in the
current art field. It shows that photography today in this respect has
taken over several key functions from the traditional artistic
disciplines. This is particularly the case in the oeuvre of the American
artist and critic Allan Sekula. A new presentation of his outdoor
installation Dear Bill Gates (1999) is shown at various strategic
locations in the city, next to work by other artists such as Sven't Jolle
and Vincent Meessen.

http://www.lievengevaertcentre.be