This talk looks at the hegemony of critique in contemporary art as a centralizing force that is increasingly implemented as a mechanism for control and exclusion. Why does art need to be critical, or rather critical in a certain way? The presentation asks if critique is the sole formula for resistance in contemporary art practice. Risking hyperbole, has critique become the language of the oppressor? The talk will juggle a few concurrent thoughts and ideas that attempt to respond to these questions from personal experience.

Sohrab Mohebbi is a writer and curator of the 58th Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, and curator-at-large at SculptureCenter, New York. Some exhibitions include: Tishan Hsu: Liquid Circuit (2020); Searching the Sky for Rain (2019); Christian Nyampeta, École du soir (2019) and Banu Cennetoglu (2019). At REDCAT CalArts’ Downtown Center for Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles, he curated, among others: It is obvious from the map (co-curated with Thomas Keenan, 2017) and Hotel Theory (2015). He is a contributing editor to Bidoun, has a BA from Tehran Art University, and an MA from CCS Bard.

Registration

The lecture will be held in English language.