Change

Despite the fundamental differences between the protests and demonstrations in Ukraine, Turkey, Russia or northern Africa, they shared a common trait in that they have sent tremors though societal systems and opened up new means of thinking and action for people in the affected countries. Writers and artists have always responded sensitively to revolutionary trends in their countries and reflected on them in their work. “Change” examined the role art plays in these transformation processes, which re-politicise art and make it so vulnerable at the same time. This project in Stuttgart was the first to bring writers, artists, activists, researchers, cultural experts and literary scholars together from Arabic countries and Central and Eastern Europe with the goal of sharing their heterogeneous experiences beyond national borders. The symposium’s participants discussed central aspects of democratisation and civic processes. A second module presented international positions from the fine arts, photography, performance art and literature and encouraged them to engage in dialogue which will be documented and made available to the general public.

Artistic director: Kateryna Stetsevych, Stefanie Stegmann, Katarina Tojic
Artists, experts: Nora Amin, Andeel, Ellen Bos, Vasyl Cherepanyn, György Dalos, Carolin Emcke, Nikita Kadan, Viktoria Lomasko, Kateryna Mishchenko, Borka Pavićević, Laila Soliman, Vladimir Sorokin, Ilija Trojanow, Dubravka Ugrešić, Aleksandar Zograf and others