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In a world of global ambitions and amorphous regions, Europe has become emblematic of the struggle between the need for collective cooperation and the fear of becoming lost in a vast, culturally homogenous mass. And in the current crisis of confidence about the future of the European ‘project’, one country sits as a symbol of all the tension and all the uncertainty.
What role do artists and intellectuals play in the debate over displaced peoples? Cultural theorist Nikos Papastergiadis and artist and performer David Pledger have been trying to figure this out for many years. Both Nikos and David approach the subject of refugees, and our collective response to the ongoing drama, from different sides. But the questions they ask are very similar.
It’s been 30 years since one of Australia’s first major post-war cultural buildings, the National Gallery of Victoria, gained a sympathetic neighbour—the Melbourne Concert Hall—which was built in 1982. This pairing of institutions marked the start of what was to become known as Melbourne’s arts precinct. But why do cities love to plonk so many of their large cultural building in one area?
There’s an old tradition in parts of rural Australia of the ‘Twig’ or ‘Twiggy’—suddenly deciding, on a whim, to stop by the side of the road, light a camp-fire with some friends and sit around for a chat, or to play music. Now the idea’s being revived, as a series of artist-in-residence events on farms along the Victorian/NSW border.
There’s an idea that’s been percolating for a while in the minds of many people in India. What’s the price of change? Will Indians still recognise their country as it hurtles into a larger arena of influence and economic power? For many Indians, the country’s myriad crafts and artistic traditions are the very things that will help India survive the future with its Indian-ness intact.
Over the past few months, Australia’s been the fortunate beneficiary of an exhibition, driven by some quite original scholarship from local curators, and by the deep knowledge and finest treasures from the Bodleian Library in Oxford. And the result has been a rare glimpse into some of the earliest and most beautiful Persian manuscripts—lush works of art and literature.
