When Verein K launched Crit Cross as a forum on art criticism seven years ago, there was no culture of collectively engaging with the genre of art criticism in Austria. Since then, we have collectively read and discussed over eighty texts and publicly discussed criticism with nearly 50 art writers, editors and critics who were guests at Crit Cross or came to the city in the framework of our Visiting Critics program.
We’ve spoken about the roles of art and art writing in difficult political contexts, discussed a documenta under attack and embattled Biennials. Today, some of the trends we discussed appear as precursors of ever larger trends in societies across the globe: The rise and entrenchment of illiberalism, populism and pressure on democracies. For the first conversation explicitly focused on this topic, we invited Zoran Erić, art critic, curator and former chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade to discuss the current situation in Serbia and the role of the arts and artists in the resistance to the authoritarian regime of Aleksandar Vučić. What role can the arts and artists play in the resistance? How does he see the interface between art criticism and social criticism? Can Serbia be a model for other countries under dictatorship?What did the protests achieve?, are some of the pressing questions we would like to address.
Photo: Verein K
