Free School for Art Theory and Practice launched by tranzit. hu
October 2006
2nd seminar weekend

The Free School for Art Theory and Practice considers as the basis of its
philosophy the concept that contemporary art and culture produce an excess
of knowledge and experience, which can be recycled and used in broader
social discourse, beyond their own primary context. The aim of the Free
School is to increase the theoretical and practical arsenal of the local
art scene based on active participation and dialogue in seminars, and also
by analyzing artistic positions, critical aspects and the institutional
system. With its name, the school marks community gatherings for people to
meet with a view to exchange knowledge and learn from one another.

The school will function in the form of regular weekend seminars, held by
invited curators, theoreticians and artists, allowing for the specificities
of the contemporary Hungarian art scene and local discourses.

Who, What and for Whom (WHW) formation, Zagreb

19 October 6 p.m.
Public lecture at the Art History Institute of the Eotvos Lorand
University, Budapest

20 - 22 October
closed seminar at Bulcsu u. 20 (Studio Little Warsaw), Budapest

Exhibiting Normalization (excerpt from the seminar description of WHW for
the Free School)

The topic of the seminar will be to explore the tactics and approaches
through which exhibitions can challenge and deconstruct omnipresent
strategic systems of representation of national identities marching towards
self-fulfillment in recently historicized narrative of progress towards the
free-market and liberal democracy grail. The key question is: how to
create critical projects that will not become prisoners of their own "will
to influence" but will stay open to play of contradictions and enable
constant re-investigations of representational strategies, exhibiting forms
and actions in public space, at the same time working out a kind of
parallel 'cultural policies' and infrastructure.

In Croatia, as in the wider region, complex relationships emerge
between issues that are ignored, made unfashionable by their lack of "New
Europe glamour" and non-marketability, swept under carpet or even openly
suppressed, such as collective relationship to the past and construct of
history, economic transition, questions of national identity and
nationalism, post-war normalization, pro-EU orientation and status of
ethnic minorities (primarily Serbian) in contemporary Croatian society.
During the seminar, we will discuss approaches taken by several recent WHW
exhibitions such as "Side Effects", "Collective Creativity", "To be put up
for a public debate" and "Normalization, dedicated to Nikola Tesla" and the
ways exhibitions and art projects can be used to parasite on "cultural
industries" in order to implant discussions on relevant social issues into
broader public discourse.

What, How and for Whom/WHW is an independent team (its members are
curatorial collective Ivet Curlin, Ana Devic, Natasa Ilic, Sabina Sabolovic
and designer and publicist Dejan Krsic) formed in 1999, that organizes
different production, exhibition and publishing projects. Since 2003 WHW
has been directing the non-profit gallery called Galerija Nova in Zagreb,
Croatia.

How to apply:
Artists, curators and anyone interested in contemporary art, who undertake
to prepare for and to take an active part in the seminars (as is relevant
to the lecturers), are invited to send a letter of motivation.

One seminar may be attended by maximum 15 participants.

Attendance at the free school is free. On request we can help in
organization of accommodation.

Application deadline for the second seminar: October 12, 2006

(III. November 12, 2006, IV: December 3, 2006)

Send applications to: tranzitenternet.hu

Lecturers 2006

Barbara Steiner, director Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig (21 -
24 September, 2006)

Who What and for Whom (WHW) formation, Zagreb (19 - 22 October, 2006)

Branislav Dimitrijevic, art historian, curator. Founder and lecturer of the
School for History and Theory of Images, Centre for Contemporary Art,
Belgrade (23 - 26 November, 2006) Jens Hoffmann, director of exhibitions,
Insitute of Contemporary Arts, London; appointed director of CCA Wattis
Institute for Contemporary Arts San Francisco (16 - 17 December, 2006)
Detailed seminar program at www. tranzit.org