Images of History in Contemporary Art

Workshop: Archive, Non-Archive, Counter-Archive

What do archives show? The two-day workshop Archive, Non-Archive, Counter-Archive investigates the shift towards archival critique in contemporary art. On the basis of a close reading of works by artists Oraib Toukan and Armin Linke, the workshop aims to explore the interrelationship between epistemic and archival practices. In particular, it will inquire artistic practices that restore visibility to lost or suppressed forms of knowledge.

Are archives the condition of history? No characterization could be as fitting––or as wrong. Certainly, the archive stands at the beginning of memory and history, of facts and knowledge. But on the other hand, archives also hinder the production of knowledge about the past, privileging specific forms while suppressing others. Thus, the workshop aims to discuss artistic practices that deal with archives as epistemic zones of conflict and battlegrounds of historical semantics rather than as places and access points to history.

Participants: Knut Ebeling, Melanie Franke, Gil Hochberg, Eva Kernbauer, Armin Linke, Paul Mellenthin, Doreen Mende, Rasha Salti, Melanie Sehgal, Vera Tollmann, Oraib Toukan.

The workshop is organized by Paul Mellenthin and the art historical research group “Images of History in Contemporary Art” at the University of Potsdam, led by Melanie Franke. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Registration: If you are interested in participating in the workshop, please register before October 5, 2022: luisa.renee.mannuuni-potsdampde. The number of participants is limited.

October 6, 2022, 2:00–9:00pm

October 7, 2022, 10:00am–2:00pm