Self-Defined: Symposium

Thursday 28 May / 11am – 4pm / Open Eye Gallery / free, RSVP

On the occasion of the exhibition Self-Defined. New Stories from Archives, this symposium brings together artists, curators and cultural professionals from regions of Europe less represented in the UK cultural sector. Through conversations on archives, memory and representation, participants will explore how historical narratives are revisited, challenged and reimagined today.

Programme

11:00-11:50. Rethinking the Past Through Institutions.

Why does the past matter today? How can institutions engage with contested histories? Why and how do we work together to explore history and archives from different perspectives?

Participants:

Gosia McKane, Director, Liverpool European Partnership

Anna Bubnova, Senior Relationship Manager, Culture Responds, Arts British Council

Moderated by Sarah Fisher

12:00-12:50. Exhibitions as Spaces for Untold Histories.

Can exhibitions make the voices of the excluded heard? What responsibilities do curators and artists have when working with silenced or fragmented narratives?

Participants:

Krasimira Butseva, visual artist and researcher based in London, UK and Sofia, Bulgaria.

Kristine Milere, exhibition curator and researcher at the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE, the Foreign Art Department of the Latvian National Museum of Art

Moderated by Max Gorbatskyi

13:00-14:00. Lunch break

14:00-14:50. Artists, Archives and Contemporary Work.

Why are artists and curators returning to archives? How can artistic practice reactivate historical material?

Participants:

Karolina Gembara, artist and researcher, Poland

Lia Dostlieva, artist and researcher, Ukraine

Viktoria Bavykina and Max Gorbatskyi, curators of the Self-Defined exhibition at Open Eye Gallery

Moderated by Lindsay Taylor, Director of the University of Salford Art Collection

15:00-15:50. Archival Practices Across Eastern Europe.

How do archival cultures differ across Eastern Europe? What political, social and historical conditions shape approaches to memory?

Participants:

Elene Toidze, Co-founder and Director of Creative Clusters’ Alliance, Georgia.

Zula Rabikowska, artist, founder of Rethinking Eastern Europe organisation.

Andrii Usach and Аnna Yatsenko, NGO After Silence, Ukraine.

Moderated by Viktoria Bavykina

In partnership with: The Liverpool European Festival, University of Salford, National Library of Latvia, CERS – Cultural and Creative Ecosystem of Latvia as a Resource for Resilience and Sustainability.