Art Opening 4 (Conspiratio)

Conspiratio is an early Christian practice of breathing into each others’ mouths, a mouth-to-mouth kiss through which each one contributes of his own spirit to create a spiritual community. Illich saw conspiratio as a basic "somatic interchange" that creates "a unity which is manifest in the world but never belongs to it, a unity always out of the reach of merely instrumental human purposes." Conspiratio amplifies the metaphysical quality of our bodiliness, that "something in our bodily encounter, which is outside of this world in which we now are."

We can do conspiratio theory and practice together, after we figure out what they could be nowadays. Unless there is a strong desire for the old ritual, we will look for contemporary conspiratio – for somatic ways of deviating from our realities in order to meet, despite the extraordinary current disembodiment. And we can reflect together on anything conspiratio related, from the current extreme replacement of our embodied experience by spectacle, to "conspiracy theories" in the sense of Miller's definition: "something that if true, you couldn't handle it", and other theories that can deeply challenge our reality formation. 

Not long ago art that recycles non-controversial certitudes, or transmits the ‘correct’ messages about how we should think, or fits too well on the market, in governmental funding schemes, institutional requirements or art trends, was called "safe". "Safe" was equivalent to conformist, mediocre art. In a society in which "safety first" is the imposed ideology, Conspiratio says "safety third", and we can look together for the other two more important things.

 

Saturday 15h30 at Artworlds space Bucharest. 

Feel free to do Conspiratio in your community too.

Art Opening 3 (Lisbon)

 

You're invited to bring works (any medium), practices or just yourselves. The event might go towards exhibition, performance, workshop, intervention, or more likely, a mix of them. Art Opening appears uninvited in art and non-art spaces, adding an extra layer to their ordinary function – producing meetings between two types of audiences, attentions, situations, performers. 

Explicit and implicit restrictions determine what kind of art is possible, by whom, for whom, if and how we can be together. Artists are more and more rewarded for conformism, for interiorizing institutional mindsets, unquestionable "correct stances" and pre-established perspectives. In this art closure atmosphere, Art Opening aims for temporary zones of possibility, for art openings at the levels of formats, contents and aesthetics. 

One of art's capacities is to question the normal and to explore alternatives, to deviate from conventions, regulations, measures, restrictions, mandates and protocols. In a time when bodies are seen as sources of infection and disease, and we're preferred as online disembodied presences, turned against each other, Art Opening is a reminder that bodies are also sources of affects, intuitions, connection, presence, joy, creativity, love, sensibility, without which, there is no 'life' to be saved.

*You can disagree, and still be very welcomed to the Art Opening. Against the current atmosphere, Art Opening embraces the plurality of views.     

With Evie Cousins, Maria Draghici, Florin Flueras, Piotrek Szwagrzyk, Eliza Trefas.     Lisbon, Miradouro da Senhora do Monte, Nov 11.  

Previous Art Openings

 

Art Opening 2 (at supermarket)

Art Opening proposes to meet in one of the few places where it is still possible without exclusion, at the supermarket. You're invited to bring works (any medium), practices or just yourselves. The event might go towards exhibition, performance, workshop, intervention, or more likely, a mix of them. Art Opening appears uninvited in art and non-art spaces, adding an extra layer to their ordinary function – producing meetings between two types of audiences, attentions, situations, performers.

Explicit and implicit restrictions determine what kind of art is possible, by whom, for whom, if and how we can be together. Artists are more and more rewarded for conformism, for interiorizing institutional mindsets, unquestionable "correct stances" and pre-established perspectives. In this art closure atmosphere, Art Opening aims for temporary zones of possibility, for art openings at the levels of formats, contents and aesthetics.

One of art's capacities is to question the normal and to explore alternatives, to deviate from conventions, regulations, measures, restrictions, mandates and protocols. In a time when bodies are seen as sources of infection and disease, and we're preferred as online disembodied presences, turned against each other, Art Opening is a reminder that bodies are also sources of affects, intuitions, connection, presence, joy, creativity, love, sensibility, without which, there is no 'life' to be saved.
 

*You can disagree, and still be very welcomed to the Art Opening. Against the current atmosphere, Art Opening embraces the plurality of views.
 

With: Atoma, Michel von Balko, Traian Cherecheș, Silvia Costin, Evie Cousins, Cătălin Diaconu, Mihai Dragomir, Denisa Duran, Florin Flueras, Smaranda Gabudeanu, Adriana Gheorghe, Cătălina Gubandru, Vasile Leac, Virginia Negru, Răzvan Pascu, Bogdan Teodorescu, Eliza Trefas.

At Mega Image Eva, Bucharest 2021 Oct 17.

Art Opening 1 (Izvor park)

 

You're invited to bring works (any medium), practices, ideas, processes, and most importantly, yourselves. Art Opening appears uninvited in art and non-art spaces, adding an extra layer to their ordinary function. Meetings are produced between two types of audiences, attentions, situations, performers – two degrees of performing and experiencing. Depending on the participants' desires, the event might go towards exhibition, performance, workshop, discussion, intervention, or, more likely, a mix of them. 

As measures, mandates and restrictions infiltrate every aspect of our lives they are more and more influencing what kind of art is possible, how it should be presented, how we should be together. It's difficult to meet and create art events, with their spontaneous communities around them, and, in the best cases, artists are paid to not do (live / embodied) art anymore. Artists are professionally rewarded for compliance with pre-established perspectives, for interiorizing institutional mindsets and unquestionable "correct stances". We're in times of art closures, when everyone seems to agree, including some of the art institutions and artists, that art is "non essential". Art Opening is a space-time for art related meetings, a move towards embodied social closeness. It aims for temporary zones of possibility, for art openings at the levels of formats, contents and aesthetics.

One of art's aims is to question the normal and to explore alternatives, to deviate from shared conventions, regulations, measures, restrictions, mandates and protocols. In a time when bodies are seen as sources of infection and disease, and we're preferred as online disembodied presences, Art Opening is a reminder that bodies are also sources of affects, intuitions, sensibility, creativity, joy, playfulness, connection, love, presence, without which, there is no 'life' to be saved.

*You can disagree with this text and still be very welcomed to the Art Opening. Against the current atmosphere, Art Opening embraces the possibility of multiple perspectives, as all of the artworld, and the world should do.

With: Roxana Ardeleanu, Flavia Bălan, Silvia Costin, Andreea David, Bogdan Drăgănescu, Giles Eldridge, Florin Flueras, Adriana Gheorghe, Cătălina Gubandru, Virginia Negru, Luca Popa, Bogdan Sibi, Alina Tofan, Eliza Trefas, Alex Vrajitoriu...

June 3, 17-21h, Parc Izvor Bucharest.

📷 Eliza Trefas, Cătălina Gubandru, Bogdan Sibi, Florin Flueras.