Utopian 90s: between the social about-face of art and the aesthetic dimension of activism

The fall of the Berlin Wall in autumn 1989 appeared to confirm the arrival of unwavering capitalism. And yet the 1990s, which were ostensibly aimed at celebrating capitalist democracies, saw the beginnings of a host of counterculture activist movements that used collective dissent to challenge neoliberal individualism. The artists of this decade were also characterised by an interest in collectivism as part of a so-called “social about-face”. They possessed a renewed interest in creative forms that sought to create situations and spaces in which moments of community, generosity and protest could occur rather than the production of objects. They in some ways appeared to have once again picked up the loose thread of the sixties and seventies, with their drive for social change. It is nonetheless worth questioning the role of these practices within neoliberalism now that they are seen in a different context.  

Course directed by Julia Ramírez-Blanco with the participation of Lara Almarcegui, Lars Bang Larsen, Jesús Carrillo, Anna Maria Guasch, Nasheli Jiménez del Val and Fefa Vila.

this activity is part of

Art as a sign of the social: the political economy of contemporary art and the 1990s

activity

21.10.2020 – 21.10.2020

highlights

7 results

Case study: the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Utopian 90s

Activity

October 7, 2020

Mineral rights: what lies under the city and who owns it?

Utopian 90s

Activity

September 30, 2020

Queer-feminist cultural expressions and political practices: ways of doing and thinking in (Spain of) the 1990s

Utopian 90s

Activity

Art as a sign of the social: the political economy of contemporary art and the 1990s

Utopian 90s

Activity

October 21, 2020

Biennialism and globalization of the art system

Utopian 90s

Activity

March 4th, 2020

Art and civil struggles: Lavapiés, a disputed neighbourhood

Utopian 90s

Activity

Art and activism in the nineties: in the face of (and with) savage capitalism

Utopian 90s

Activity

highlights

4 results

Utòpics 90. Entre el gir social de l’art i la dimensió estètica de l’activisme [Programa activitat]

document

Biennalisme i globalització del sistema de l’art — Utòpics 90. Entre el gir social de l’art i la dimensió estètica de l’activisme [Enregistrament audiovisual activitat]

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Art i activisme als noranta: contra (i amb) el capitalisme salvatge — Utòpics 90. Entre el gir social de l’art i la dimensió estètica de l’activisme [Enregistrament audiovisual activitat]

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Art i lluites ciutadanes: Lavapiés, un barri en disputa — Utòpics 90. Entre el gir social de l’art i la dimensió estètica de l’activisme [Enregistrament audiovisual activitat]

document