“Political Art ?”

With this 80th issue, Texte zur Kunst celebrates its 20th anniversary. However, the correspondingly “grand” topic of our anniversary issue is not immediately revealed on the cover. Only gradually do the words “Politische Kunst?” (“Political Art?”) emerge from the golden stripes. Already this visual effect, but even more so the question mark in the title, highlights the innumerable layers of meaning in this pair of concepts. Which can hardly be reduced to a common denominator, for political art seems to be omnipresent today. In addition to the Kunstvereine, biennales and other large-scale events have meanwhile established themselves as venues predominantly presenting political art. Yet it cannot be grasped as a fixed category. What does apply, though, is that a certain form of commitment and a fixed positioning of political art must by all means be considered in the framework of their differentiation. But what is the political of political art in the first place, and in what relation do art and politics stand? How do the claims, modes of reception and the effects of political art relate to each other (cf. the statements of Claire Bishop, Tania Bruguera, Diedrich Diederichsen, Hans Haacke, Tom Holert, Clemens Krümmel, and Otto Karl Werckmeister)?
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Includes : Helmut Draxler – The Curse of the Good Deed / The Claim to Autonomy and the Suspicion of Ideology in Political Art; Roundtable – When Art Meets Politics / A Roundtable Conversation about Political Art with Alice Creischer, Hans-Christian Dany, Tim Eitel, Constanze Ruhm, moderated by Sven Beckstette; Simon Sheikh - The Politics of Art and the Process of Biennialization; Maria Muhle – Political Art as Aesthetic Realism or Passion of the Real?; Clemens Krümmel – Poltical Art; Hans Haacke responds to questions from „Texte zur Kunst”; Diedrich Diederichsen - Speaking of Political Art; Claire Bishop – Art and Politics; Tom Holert- Critique or Gesture: Is that the Alternative?; Otto Karl Werckmeister – Marx´s Theorie does not prescribe an Art of the Left; Tania Bruguera – Political Art Transforms the Audience into Citizens….
etc.

Plus reviews from Berlin, Madrid, Basel, Antwerp, London, Graz, Paris, Rotterdam, New York, Wien, Kassel, Cologne, etc….

One of the finest art journals, period. TEXTE ZUR KUNST stands for controversial discussions and contributions by internationally leading writers on contemporary art and culture. Alongside ground-breaking essays the quarterly magazine, founded in Cologne in 1990 by Stefan Germer (†) and Isabelle Graw and published in Berlin since 2000, offers interviews, roundtable discussions and extensive reviews on art, film, music, market and fashion as well as on art history, theory and cultural politics. Since 2006 the comprehensive main section section, each time devoted to a different topic, and selected reviews are published in both German and English.

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