Now that all contemporary art museums seem to have survived the forced lockdown during covid, maybe the time has come to discuss whether the museums as they we know them are still relevant models for the time we live in. Curators Erich Weiss (Independent Curator), Irina Mutt (Espai 13) and Guim Camps (Macba) at Public Talk will discuss the future of museums.
Are the institutions really prepared for the future? This talk pretends to be a platform where local and international professionals are invited to exchange with the audience their ideas, suggest new strategies or comment on their personal hopes and predictions. It is an invitation to look into a glass ball, as a collective creative exercise and to imagine new possibilities.
We’ll try to involve the audience in an open debate and answer questions such as :
- What is the mission of a ‘contemporary art museum’ nowadays? Is it still the place where artworks are collected, saved for the past and temporarily shown to the audience? Is their storage space enough for all these pieces?
- How will a museum experience change under the influence of new technologies and digitalisation?
- How can a museum be a mirror of society and reflect a quickly changing reality dominated by complex political situations?
- If a museum pretends to name itself ‘contemporary’, what should be his relation with living artists, specially a younger generation?
- How can a museum be a the same time a laboratory and place for production and a space for reflection and conservation?
- What role can new disciplines and media play in the context of the museum of the future? How can the museum present ephemeral art forms such as performances or works in progress?
Erich Weiss
Erich Weiss (°1966 Belgium) lives and works in Barcelona and Brussels.
Recent projects as external expert or curator :
‘FLOW WITH THE TOW’ (Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen) – Art Miami 2019
‘CONTEMPORARY PRESENCES’ Marijn Van Kreij - Museo Picasso Barcelona 2019
’THE FOUNTAIN ARCHIVE’ (Saâdane Aff) + ’STUDIO INFRAMINCE’ Fundacion Antoni Tapies Barcelona 2021
’THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA & OTHER BOOKS’ Kulturfenster Kassel -Documenta 15 - 2022
‘LE GRAND JEU’ MCBA Lausanne - 2024
Irina Mutt
Irina Mutt is a writer and curator from Barcelona currently based in Helsinki. Her practice is based on different strategies and tools for research and distribution, often using non-academic sources and references such as fanzines, comics or video games.
- She situates her work within LGTBQ+ culture and strategies as a way to bring tensions between visibility and opacity, vulnerability and power.
- She has recently curated We will keep eachother company when it grows dark (Espai 13, Fundació Miró, 2024). With Soko Hwang she co-curated Glitches, the 2023 edition of Pixelache festival (Puristamo and Tanssi Talo, 'Helsinki,2023) and the post-porn festival Kinki Kioski (Myös in 2024 and at Myymälä2, 2023.).
- She has also coordinated workshops for the PUBLIC Youth program with Laia Estruch as guest artist (collaboration between Latitudes and Publics, Helsinki, 2022) and has curated series of ''oral zines'' broadcasted in collaboration with independent radios such as Fugitive Radio, Open radio or Station of Commons.
- Previously, in Barcelona she was part of the commission of Hangar (2017-2019) and curated exhibitions at La Capella (BCN Producció, 2018), Sala d'Art Jove (2018) and Can Felipa (2013), among others. In Madrid she curated Deshaciendo texto, one of the winning projects of the Inéditos call (2016). Also, during her residency at Centro Huarte she presented her research "If I can't dance'' (Iruña, 2017).
Guim Camps
Guim Camps is an artist, educator and curator.
- He worked as an exhibition coordinator and junior curator at the Museo de Arte Moderno, Medellín, where he co-curated El camino más largo (2021) and Rodrigo Hernández. El espejo (2021), among other projects.
- He previously worked as an artist-educator at the Visual Arts Network of the Mayor's Office, Medellín (2013–15).
- Currently, he is engaged with the Virtual Union of Mods project, a platform for debates on representation, labour and emotional relationships within video games.
- He has exhibited at institutions such as Tallinn Art Hall (2023); SAVVY Contemporary, Berlin (2022–23); Museo La Tertulia, Cali, Colombia; Etopia Centre for Art and Technology, Zaragoza (2021); and La Capella, Barcelona (2020–21).
- He is currently exhibition coordinator and assistant curator at MACBA.
Ticket price:
10 euros - early bird
12 euros - at the entrance
Price includes a glass of wine
