Thanasis Chondros and Alexandra Katsiani, Penumbra, 1983
Hendrik Folkerts and Eirini Papakonstantinou suggest 1982, the year of documenta 7, as a stage to navigate the legacy of various performance histories. While the 1960s and 1970s were defining moments in the history of post-war performance and body art, the early 1980s ushered in a new era of post-performance, post-feminism, and the work of the Pictures Generation, framed by the political spectrum of the Thatcher and Reagan governments. This transition is evident in the somewhat reactionary choices made in documenta 7, curated by Rudi Fuchs. Yet it also advances the question of how we, in the year 2017, relate to the legacies and histories of those years prior to 1982—now fully canonized through extensive representation in museum collections and art history education, while often mythologized as representing a moment of endless potential and freedom. Folkerts and Papakonstantinou explore these legacies through the work of a number of artists from that period vis-à-vis contemporary artists whose practice is built on a dialogue with their generational precedents.
The event will take place in English and Greek with translations into both languages.
Hendrik Folkerts is a Curator at documenta 14. He was curator of Performance, Film, and Discursive Programs at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam (2010–14) and coordinator of the Curatorial Programme at De Appel in Amsterdam (2009–11). His texts have been published widely in journals and magazines such as Artforum, South as a State of Mind, The Exhibitionist, and Metropolis M, as well as in exhibition catalogues. Folkerts lives and works in Kassel.
Eirini Papakonstantinou is a curator at the State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, organizing and coordinating exhibitions, performances, workshops, classes, and music events. Since 2009 she has curated the Thessaloniki Performance Festival, which is part of the Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art. Her texts have been published widely in exhibition catalogues and journals. Papakonstantinou lives and works in Thessaloniki.
