2023 Radical care

Our topic of the year 2023: Radical Care

CARE — A buz­zword that is curr­ent­ly being used infla­tio­na­ri­ly. But despi­te huma­ni­ta­ri­an cri­ses and vio­lent con­flicts world­wi­de, per­sis­tent gen­der ine­qua­li­ty, an impen­ding cli­ma­te cata­stro­phe and two years of pan­de­mics, the impres­si­on has still not been gai­ned that caring for others, ones­elf and the envi­ron­ment is real­ly regard­ed and valued as ele­men­ta­ry for the func­tio­ning of (modern) com­mu­ni­ties. At the same time, self-care as a life-style con­cept is the capi­ta­liza­ti­on of self-estee­ming beha­vi­or par excellence.

Nevertheless, self-care as a sup­port­ing prin­ci­ple of socie­ty does have uto­pian poten­ti­al, even bey­ond the boun­da­ries of human encoun­ter spaces.But what com­pe­ten­ci­es are nee­ded to be able to care at all? What prac­ti­ces of care are the­re? What con­se­quen­ces would it have for our cur­rent social, eco­lo­gi­cal, poli­ti­cal and eco­no­mic rea­li­ty if care were to be con­side­red the defi­ning prin­ci­ple? Which stra­te­gies for each other are con­ceiva­ble in a func­tio­ning socie­ty? How can the­se be artis­ti­cal­ly reflec­ted, exami­ned and tested?

In addi­ti­on, we would like to ques­ti­on exis­ting acts of care, or the lack the­reof, in the art con­text as well. What pos­si­bi­li­ties do we also crea­te as an art space so that art workers who, for exam­p­le, as par­ents or caring rela­ti­ves, also per­form care work, can actively par­ti­ci­pa­te in dis­cour­ses wit­hout having to deci­de for one or against the other?