Perspectives on Collective Practice

Public talk with curator Grégory Castéra based on his research on how artists work with collective practices, and how this approach can foster artistic development, better understandings of societies, and encourage alternative ways of working, thinking and living together. Followed by a discussion between Grégory Castéra, Raimundas Malašauskas, Claire Tancons and Kathryn Weir.

The research focuses on collective practices more generally instead of looking only at groups who define themselves as art collectives. The art collective resists definitions and categorizations by disciplines. As a collective effort that can take different scales, shapes and durations, collective practices challenge the persistent focus on the individual, defended by most art institutions.

If art collectives are usually opposed to a conventional understanding of the artist as a genius, echoing non-hierarchical forms of organizations and alternative ways of living, today this form is not necessarily a synonym of subversion or emancipation. Parallel to this, many collective methods and values have been assimilated by engineering, management, marketing, and by most of contemporary political ideologies. Castéra’s inquiry takes a critical approach towards art collectives and maps such practices internationally.

The Collective Forum is a project commissioned by Iaspis, concept by Council, and curated by Grégory Castéra (co-director of Council, Paris). The advisory board  is composed of Raimundas Malašauskas (independent curator), Claire Tancons (independent curator, co-curator of the Sharjah Biennial 14) and Kathryn Weir (curator of the Cosmopolis Biennial, Centre Pompidou, Paris and Chengdu).

On behalf of Iaspis, Castera conducts this research to prepare a three day forum on collective practices that will take place at Iaspis in June 2019, when participants representing collective practices from all over the world will gather to share experiences.

Grégory Castéra