HOW TO BE TOGETHER OTHERWISE: NEGOTIATING THE POSTHUMAN CONDITION IN ART
Maria Hlavajova

HOW TO BE TOGETHER OTHERWISE: NEGOTIATING THE POSTHUMAN CONDITION IN ART
In her talk, Maria Hlavajova will inquire into the condition of the posthuman by means of unpacking a number of notions such as the Anthropocene; the rights of nature; algorithmic cultures, etc. Taking the form of a speculative glossary, the talk considers how under the pressure of contemporary concerns (the neoliberal economics of global capitalism, forced migration, advanced technological developments, environmental destruction on a mass scale, the perpetual war on terror and extensive security systems, etc.) the concept of the human as we had previously known it has undergone dramatic transformations. The critical terms of the posthuman will be discussed on the basis of concrete works of art and artistic projects, thinking about an alternative of being together in the world otherwise in a constellation that is both social and ecological.

Maria Hlavajova is artistic director of BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht and of the international research project FORMER WEST (2008–2016). She has organized numerous projects at BAK and beyond, including the series Future Vocabularies (2014–ongoing) and New World Academy with artist Jonas Staal (2013–2016). In 2011, Hlavajova curated Call the Witness, the Roma Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale, Venice, and in 2007 the three-part project Citizens and Subjects, the Dutch contribution to the 52nd Venice Biennale. She regularly edits and contributes to publications, and lectures frequently on contemporary art. She lives and works in Amsterdam and Utrecht.