The Kindness of Others in the German Art Education System
Essay after appearing on a panel at an August 2023 Symposium hosted by the nGbK Working Group 'Curating through Conflict with Care'
Pflegen and sorgen are German words for causing as well as caring. Unbehagen pflegen can be used in the sense of für Unruhe sorgen; creating or causing unrest or discomfort. Unbehagen pflegen can also be literally interpreted as caring for discomfort; approaching conflict with care.
Unbehagen Pflegen is thus the name of a project that I initiated at the beginning of the 22/23 academic year. The yearlong educational concept for fine art and design students at the Muthesius University in Kiel, Germany, includes collective reading, collaborative writing, and visiting exhibitions, lectures and installations with a mind towards Critical Race Theory and Social Engagement. I suppose that this essay will show how I fell into the trap of art mediation 1 which is an exhausting kind of Minority Tax that people pay when their critical positions aren’t well-received.
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Continue reading on the CCC Platform on the nGbK Website.