IN CONVERSATION WITH ANNE RENSMA In poetry, and specifically in the interactive performance of language that is spoken word, one can find potential to generate a world within a world: a safe space that does not only offer protection, but, maybe even more so, a place to live and to exist in. As such, the lure of loving in one’s own language has gradually made my pessimism grow softer. There…

IN CONVERSATION WITH ANA ABRIL Kneeling on the paved sidewalk and wearing a precarious dress made out of poor quality fabric, the Brazilian performer and visual artist Priscila Rezende (Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 1985) rubs a series of metal pots and lids used for cooking. The scene is already striking for the particularity of bringing a domestic action to the public space of the street. However, what astonishes the viewer the…

IN CONVERSATION WITH ASTRID KERCHMAN When I encountered the Guerrilla Girls poster Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum (2012) (click here for the MOED X Guerrilla Girls exhibition) for the first time, many questions emerged, all centered around the following question: Why did the Guerrilla Girls specifically choose to appropriate the subject of the La Grande Odalisque? What is the story behind this painting,…

IN CONVERSATION WITH SAMA KHOSRAVI OORYAD Graffiti art in Iran has adopted a powerful and political stance against increasingly aggravated socio-political conflicts and injustices towards precarious communities. An anonymous art collective named The Street: Tribune for the Political Prisoner has initiated the painting of a series of black-and-white graffiti images on the walls of mostly Tehran city as well as other cities. They began this project in order to demand…

IN CONVERSATION WITH ELSABETH DESTA The arts play a significant role in feminist theory and practice. Art has the possibility to bridge past and present, making people relate to the past in new ways, and paving trails into the future with new ways of being. Jeannette Ehlers’ interactive performance, Whip It Good (2013), can be read in this light as it relates to activism, justice, and feminist theory, by creating…

IN CONVERSATION WITH ROBYN AUSMEIER This article discusses the increasing gentrification of Woodstock, Cape Town in the light of the double role of the arts as having simultaneously the possibility of enabling and resisting this process of gentrification. In particular, the article focuses on the art collective Burning Museum, who highlight the need for collaborative action to break the silences around gentrification and to challenge the forced displacement of already…

IN CONVERSATION WITH STEDELIJK STUDIES Stedelijk Studies welcomes contributions on the theme ‘Towards a Museum of Mutuality’. Find the full call for papers here. THEME OUTLINE Engendering integration while acknowledging differences is one of the biggest challenges facing museums globally today. Institutions must reconceptualize the relationship between their collections and the engagement with (new) audiences at all levels. In response, there has been a shift in the museum model, both…

IN CONVERSATION WITH LEANA BOVEN Donald Glover, also known by his alias Childish Gambino, created a truly original piece of work with his newly released music video ‘This is America.’ Although many praise his work, negative criticism has also been expressed at Glover. Where does this critique come from? And what is the importance of this music video in contemporary times? These topics will be discussed in this latest edition…