B.1 Paradigm Shift in the Post-Colonial and Neo-Liberal Context
Paradigm Shift in the Post-Colonial and Neo-Liberal Context
Most of the Arts Collaboratory member organisations are located in the geographic area denoted as the ’global south’. While purposely avoiding the use of this notion for our identity, Arts Collaboratory is conscious of the problems of the current division between the ’global south’ and the ‘global north’ and seeks to transcend them.
This partition reflects the division between labor and capital, namely the structural domination of the former by the latter through the mechanism of never-ending production, the myth of growth and the logic of accumulation. In turn all of these factors have created the culture of individualism and competition, dependency and exploitation, which has resulted in ever-increasing inequality among humans.
While the neo-liberal turn of capitalism since the late 1970s on a global scale has only accelerated this capitalist mode of operation, we find the root of this system in colonization, mainly in the construction of the hegemonic notions of time, value, space and language. All the organisations in Arts Collaboratory continue to be affected by the trauma of colonialism as it is a logical progression, the structures of capitalism in our organizational contexts perpetuate this trauma even after each respective country’s ’independence’ from, or the removal of colonial power.
This makes us keep producing at the cost of our own labor and time, without being able to create our own rules and rhythms. Yet, the crucial recognition that Arts Collaboratory wants to make, in line with many other colleagues and thinkers around us, is that this problem does not just belong to the so-called ’south.’ The general instability, insecurity, the exploitation of labor by capital, and the increasing gap between the rich and the poor are experienced palpably by the majority of the population in the ’north’ as well.
In this light, Arts Collaboratory sees the importance of challenging this paradigm by subverting the above mentioned division and cultivating co-existence. We move forward towards degrowth as opposed to growth, to enact interdependence rather than dependence or independence, to share commonwealths rather than subscribe to capitalist accumulation.
Unresolved Question:
Isn’t this ecosystem and collaboration among the organisations just a burden, adding to the workload and perpetuating the precariousness of the contemporary working and living condition that each organisation is coping with? If there’s a strong common desire for this translocal encounter and mutual unlearning/learning, what obstructs this desire to be further fulfilled and what direction for our future does this desire express?
Considering AC’s position regarding capitalism and neoliberalism, what is the AC position regarding the art world and the art market, which have deep and obvious roots and connections to each of these systems? (This was one of Stefano and Tonika’s questions after reviewing the preliminary AC Future Plan. They ask if this is an issue that might be addressed in future assemblies, bangas, collective study etc.)
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