UNTRANSLATABLE DISTANCES

Panel Discussion
Organised by AICA (International Association of Art Critics)
Concept: Christian Chambert and Kim Levin
Date: 23 June 2000 Location:
Cankarjev dom, Cultural and Congress Centre, Prešernova 10, Ljubljana

One of the main events of the parallel program of Manifesta 3 will be a panel discussion organized by AICA. The discussion intends to pose the question whether it is possible to take an advantage of the contemporary "disappearance of distances" to establish an inter-cultural dialogue. Can art and culture contribute to such a process?

The answer of Christian Chambert:
"Mass media and mass communication make it possible to visit many far-off places, both virtually and actually. Let us establish arenas for manifold experiences and listen to unacknowledged voices from neglected parts of Europe and the globe beyond. There are many invisible obstacles and languages carry different loads. There is an urge for diverse stories and unforeseen interpretations, even if the links between different narratives do not always show up in a logical way. In a chaotic world full of distances, where most people are unprivileged, perhaps culture is a meeting point, the one with the sharpest searchlight, making it possible to start an illuminating dialogue with each other."

Participants:
Welcome address, introduction: Kim Levin, New York, President of AICA Christian Chambert, Uppsala, Vice-President of AICA
Moderator: Branislav (Branko) Dimitrijević, Centre for Contemporary Art, Belgrade
Panellists:
Iara Boubnova, curator, critic,
Sofia Ekaterina Dyogot, critic, Moscow
Ivo Mesquita, chief curator Sao Paulo Biennial 2001
Marjetica Potrč, artist, participating in Manifesta 3, Ljubljana
Kathrin Rhomberg, curator, Manifesta 3, Vienna
Christoph Tannert, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin