Reading group on art and politics

About the reading group

Convenors

• Malvika Maheshwari (Ashoka University)
• Ranjini Nair (University of Cambridge)
• Joanna Page (University of Cambridge)

How and why do nation-states become interested in the arts, in its promotion, and regulation? How is art used by dissident groups to create or contest political identities or movements? How does this political use or promotion of art intersect with market dynamics? How do categories in art appear? What role do governments, markets and artists play in producing these categories? To whom does this matter? How do governments or political groups mediate the relationship between specific artists and their audiences?

By asking questions concerning constraints and freedom, this reading group contemplates different ways in which power translates and transforms through art practice. Recognizing that the art world is an arena of power rather than simply as a tool for communication or representation, we will what art practice might tell us about social and political institutions and relations, and how it intersects with the predicaments and privileges of those with whom it engages.

We invite interested doctoral and post-doctoral researchers, academics, artists, and authors to be a part of this reading group. By reading, listening, examining, and talking together, we hope for an equally rewarding and meaningful outcome in exploring the deeply fraught yet dynamic alliance of art and politics.

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Programme