Reactivation is a word that reflects the wishes of our world, which is to return to normality and to thing that were considered normal before the coronavirus pandemic broke out. This word expresses both the desire to act and the nostalgia for the recent past.
From today’s perspective, even most trivial pre-pandemic things seem attractive. Reactivation is often used by the media as a way of referring to “loosening of the anti-covid restrictions”, “unblocking the economy”, “reopening” etc. Regardless of the context, Reactivation expresses the need for being able to act again. Although the pandemic has its own dynamics (the COVID-19 restrictions have already been eased and tightened several times), the longing for the pre-pandemic world continues to grow. And this is why the reopening of museums and art galleries on May 4, 2021 can become a pretext for a reflection on formulas for restoring the cultural life – for its “reactivation”.
Our world has been under siege. The invader is invisible and unknown. Even the near future remains uncertain. The rhythm of the cultural life has a changing pace: from opening to closing… The reality resembles The Matrix, in which a group of survivors fought with an omnipotent, yet invisible power. This power could not be seen, apart from the fake images it created. Also COVID-19 is surrounded by a cloud of fake news that blur its contours. The dilemmas we face, however, are clearly visible. Can culture become a ray of hope shining through the dark clouds?
As the theme of this year’s edition of Art Week, Reactivation does not simply refer to the reopening of cultural institutions. Instead, it has many meanings related to the artistic activity.
It is a reference to the vital energy that has always been presence in art, the energy that urges us to redefine again and again in the face of obstacles and limitations.
The UNESCO debate on the condition of cultural institutions during the pandemic that was held at the last year’s edition of the festival proved that taking action is essentially important. Back then, during the first lockdown, the reactions of the world of culture were spontaneous and diverse. However, as the lockdown continued, the situation changed. Today, ensuring the institutional continuity and the vision of culture in the world marked by the experience of the pandemic become crucial issues. The question is,”What is going to happen?”.
In the context of Poznań Art Week 2021, the word ”reactivation” mostly refers to the revival of artistic narratives. This word is connected to the questions, “How to tell stories?” and “Which stories to tell?”. The paradigm of “the story” will serve as the link between the events planned in the program. Just like in 2020, this year’s edition will be an Internet platform bringing together various global and local initiatives. It will run ‘’until further notice”. The still unstable pandemic situation continues to create a need for public debate. The need for a constant “reactivation”.
Mateusz M. Bieczyński
Curator of Poznań Art Week 2021 on-line
Curator of Poznań Art Week 2021 on-line
Mateusz M. Bieczyński
Curators
Benny Au, Eric Zhu, Max Skorwider
Texts
Mateusz M. Bieczyński, Maciej Kurak, Eric Zhu
Coordination
Aniela Perszko, Szymon Dolata
Fastival’s Visual identity
Radek Włodarski
Website design
Tomasz Jurek
Organizers
Municipal Galleries of the UAP
Partners
Poznań Art Week 2021 is supported by Urząd Miasta Poznania.
Organizers
Supported by
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the program of the National Center for Culture: Culture – Interventions, edition 2023 and from the funds of the Poznań City Hall.
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