Critical Realism in Contemporary Art: around Allan Sekula's photography

Critical Realism in Contemporary Art: around Allan Sekula's photography
Leuven, Belgium
2-4 September 2005

Nineteenth century social realist thought translated itself into a
figurative-realistic painting and sculpture of which Constantin Meunier was one of the greatest exponents in Belgium. The Meunier exhibition that takes place from April to September 2005 in Leuven under the title "Meunier, a dialogue. Contemporary art meets Constantin Meunier in Leuven" is open to the grand public but also has a stong research aspect [organisation Stedelijk Museum in cooperation with K.U.Leuven]. Through the confrontation
between Meuniers work and contemporary visual art this exhibition has the ambition to discover how new forms of social realism are present in the current art field. It shows that photography today has taken over several key functions from the traditional artistic disciplines. This is particularly the case for the work of the American artist and critic Allan Sekula. His body of work is widely considered the most important international representative of what can be labelled as critical realism. In 2005 Sekula exhibits on a regular basis in Leuven, next to other artists such as Sven 't Jolle and Vincent Meessen.

The symposium attempts to create a dialogue between artistic researchers and theorists. One of its most central topics will be the possibility to (re)invent a socio-critical art in a globalised visual culture. Do the visual arts still have the potential to critically question the socio-political reality of today? Allan Sekula fulfills a key role within this discussion. He and other speakers will search a middle way in this dialogue.

Conference chairs:
Saturday: Hilde Van Gelder (K.U.Leuven)
Sunday: Jan Baetens (K.U.Leuven)


PROGRAMME

Friday September 2

18.00 World première of Allan Sekula's new film The Lottery of the Sea
[2005], accompanied by a keynote lecture by the artist


Saturday September 3

09.30-10.00 Opening Speech
Ludo Melis (Dean, Faculty of Arts, K.U.Leuven)

10.00-10.45 Postindustrial Topographics: Places of Labour in Contemporary
Urban Photography
Steven Jacobs (University of Ghent / Sint-Lukas Brussels)

10.45-11.15 Break

11.15-12.00 Photography: Seeing Time
Maarten Vanvolsem (K.U.Leuven)

12.00-12.45 "Painting through Photography". Critical reflections on the work
of Dirk Braeckman, Luc Tuymans and Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven in the early
1990s
Liesbeth Decan (K.U.Leuven / Sint-Lukas Brussels)

12.45-14.15 Lunch

14.15-15.00 Suspended Judgement: Photography in the Time of the Archive
David Green (University of Brighton)

15.00-16.30 Cloning Terror: The War of Photo Ops, 2001-2004
William J.T. Mitchell - Lieven Gevaert Chair Speaker (University of Chicago)

17.30 Official Opening of the exhibition of new photowork by Allan Sekula,
STUK by Denise Vandevoort (Alderman of Culture of the City of Leuven), Hilde
Van Gelder (K.U.Leuven) and Allan Sekula

18.00 Reception


Sunday September 4

09.30-10.15 Beyond compassion. How to escape the victim frame in social
documentary photography today. Some notes on the making of a
multi-disciplinary project on the situation of refugees in Belgium
Inge Henneman (Photomuseum Antwerp - Editor in chief Fotomuseum Magazine)

10.15-11.00 Depicting the Contemporary Artist's Studio
Wouter Davidts (University of Ghent)

11.00-11.30 Break

11.30-12.15 Against Affirmative Culture: René Block's Appropriation of
Capitalist Realism
Catharina Manchanda (CUNY)

12.15-13.00 Horizontal Montage and the Subjects of Labour
Steve Edwards (Open University)

13.00-14.15 Lunch

14.15-15.30 Plenary Session 1: Debate on the historical impact of social
realism on contemporary art
Moderator: Hilde Van Gelder (K.U. Leuven)
Discussants: Allan Sekula, Steve Edwards, Inge Henneman, Steven Jacobs, Eva
Brems (University of Ghent) and Frits Gierstberg (Photomuseum Rotterdam)

16.00-17.15 Plenary Session 2: Debate on the theoretical aspects of critical
realism today
Moderator: Jan Baetens (K.U.Leuven)
Discussants: William J.T. Mitchell, David Green, Wouter Davidts, Catharina
Manchanda, Liesbeth Decan and Maarten Vanvolsem

17.15 -17.30 Concluding remarks by Hilde Van Gelder

___________________________________________

REGISTRATION
Entrance is free. Please register by sending an e-mail to:
rein.desle@arts.kuleuven.be

CONFERENCE BROCHURE
http://www.lievengevaertcentre.be/symposium_sekula.pdf

ORGANISATION
Lieven Gevaert Research Centre for Photography and Visual Studies
[KULeuven]. For more information: rein.desle@arts.kuleuven.be or 32 (0)16
32 48 79.