Former West

An "experimental arrangement" with installations, performances, films and discussions

For the project Former West, the Haus der Kulturen der Welt examines how contemporary arts reacted to the tidal changes of 1989 and the resulting transformation of the political and cultural landscape. The project begins with the postulation that following the disintegration of the dichotomous world order, contemporary art positioned itself within an increasingly global system of dependencies and influences – a system comprised of the eroded political and economic predominance of “the West”.
Former West has two main objectives. First, by engaging international artists, curators and researchers, it attempts to localize the current position of contemporary art production and examine what image of the future is being propagated by contemporary art today. Second, it reviews the historic positions of the past 20 years, in which the geopolitical upheaval of 1989 played an integral role. The project takes an innovative approach to designing this retrospective overview. Former West attempts to sidestep the limitation of traditional formats such as exhibitions and congresses. The project presents a ten-day “experimental arrangement” featuring performances, films and discussions as a lead-up to the presentation of documents and artwork.

Artistic director: Kathrin Rhomberg
Participants / Artists: Nancy Adajania (IND), Aernout Mik (NL), Josef Dabernig (A), Pawel Althamer (PL), Rabih Mouré (RL), Nilbar Güres (TR)

Venue: Berlin, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, 8 - 17 Mar. 2013