PWC AT TINAG 2010
PUBLIC WORKS
MIKE NELSON, CURATOR
...
....
........
In the bi-polar centre of Nicosia the legacies of the C20th and the transformations of the C21st are challenging this divided city to introspection, vis-a-vis its claims to an international vocabulary, however ignored, and its architectonic steps forward. Moving on from the modernist legacy of challenging systems of knowledge through aesthetic experiences, art forms have developed into the manifestations of littoral, conversational or dialogue based public art. A role that art can assume is to challenge us to think of our world anew and trigger thought on our sense of community. How does Nicosia's fragmented sense of community respond to such developments? How are we art practitioners, cultural producers, architects, historians, theorists - responsible in shaping that community and how visual language is used to interact not only with a highly charged public space but also with the public that inhabits that space?
Public Works, a two day roundtable, a series of workshops and an exhibition across the Old Town of Nicosia will attempt to explore issues re:
Nicosia as a space and place of conflicts.
The public sphere and the subsequent and diverse uses of art in this specific locale.
The public(s) that inhabits Nicosia, the degrees of its representations, and how and if art can attribute a visual voice.
Historical and theoretical paradigms of social engagement through the arts and the importance of introducing such vocabulary into the Cypriot setting.
Art as a contact zone for conflict resolution.
Curated by Evi Tselika and Demetris Taliotis
A dedicated blog can be found _ http://publicworks2010.blogspot.com
