Current Project

From Diaspora to diversities - Transformative action for diasporic art&cultural diversity management

“Europe always remains heterogeneous and differs from itself as much as it differs from others”-EtienneBalibar

Project donors

The project From Diaspora to diversities - Transformative action for diasporic art&cultural diversity management is funded by Balkan Arts and Culture Fund BAC.

BAC is supported by·the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF).

The project From Diaspora to diversities was inspired by the necessity to address to the notion of diaspora and it’s broader understanding in the context of changed ambient of increased mobility, globalization and different ways in experientiality of cultural diversities. Within the frame of main theme focus, the project was especially initiated by the need to address and to reflect artistic practices of the Western Balkans artists who have different diasporic background and experiences. It could bring new insight of the diasporic notions that would diminish the old-fashioned abuse by the nationalistic circles.It starts from the argument that today the diaspora in the cultural field has different meaning and forms than it was few decades ago. In the context of globalisation, artists, as well as, other people on the move, have different motives then before. It is a zeal for gaining new experiences, personal development, enjoying cultural diversity. In this aspect the project would carry interdisciplinary research of the curatorial practices and artistic portfolios. It would explore diversity management models by the regional and European organisations. It would provide new theoretical framework to inspire change in the understanding and therefore different policies. Policies that will include improvement of the international careers, professional development, residential and co-production stays and other practices of cultural nomadisms. Our aim would be to view the diaspora as go-between the different societies, carriers of hybrid plurality and subjects of negotiated identities. They rather question than transfer rigidities of identity – religious, ethnic, gendered -over spaces and cultures. The project would make an impact on the wider socio-cultural and political level in the region, thus improving the understanding, but also the status of the artists and the proliferation of the cultural practices. With the planned pan-European dimension, we would give the “diasporic” artists transformative visibility. It would help their visibility as dialogical cultural diversity in the new communities. The project would also like to raise the question from the other site, as a kind of feedback: how is the cultural diversity of those, coming from “out” accepted and understood from the “domestic” art scene and what is they experience on this topic. Can we say that interaction happens, can we speak here about “added values”? Planned changes and impact would occur through several transversal public events and activities organized by the partners in the region and in Europe using the formats of interactive workshops, conference, exhibitions, and printed publication. The printed publication would be distributed and offered to download free of charge.

Project Context

The discourse of diaspora and artistic practices of diasporic subjects have mainly been used by the nationalistic cultural and political elites in the region. Those politics are inspired by the older notions of diaspora which rely on what Paul Gilroy called “ethnic absolutism”. They ground diaspora to the fixed and metaphysical-geographical foundations of home and identity. The home-nation is privilegedand the only authentic space of belonging and civic participation. Exile is devaluated and the new homeland is seen as “prison” for ones from another nation. Contacts with diaspora are priority but only to confirm the ethno-national identity. They are the distant guarantors of national purity over time and space. The countries of Western Balkans even provided diaspora with reserved representation seats in the national Parliaments. They are nowadays decisive for rightwing election victories. In recent history, diaspora played dirty role in the conflicts among the Balkans multicultural communities. The diasporic voices are the ones most severely opting for xenophobia, monoculture and Euro-scepticism. In the same time, Europe under globalisation is also rapidly changing. Economic immigration, the multiple waves of political refugees blur the composition of the traditional communities throughout Europe, bringing together people with different and distant identities, belief systems, memories and behaviours. The late scholar Dragan Klaic reminded on the paradox that European integration and the demographic changes caused by migration boosted the nationalistic sentiments. More and more national governments sponsor such projects. He find this strive motivated by “anxieties from eroding monolithic notions of national culture”.

Our project aims to initiate new understanding of the diaspora. It starts from the argument that today the diaspora in the cultural field has different meaning and forms than it was few decades ago. In the context of globalisation, artists, as well as, other people on the move, have different motives then before. There is a need for gaining new experiences, personal development, enjoying cultural diversity. In this aspect the project would carry interdisciplinary research of the curatorial and cultural practices and artistic portfolios. It would explore diversity management models by the regional and European organisations. It would invite diasporic artists but also theoreticians from the field to stage interactive workshops, lectures and trainings to inspire change in the understanding and create a critical mass of trendsetters asking for different policies. Policies that will include improvement of the international careers, professional development, residential and co-production stays and other practices of cultural nomadism. Our aim would be to view the diaspora as go-between the different societies, carriers of hybrid plurality and subjects of negotiated identities. They rather question than transfer rigidities of identity – religious, ethnic, gendered -over spaces and cultures. With the planned pan-European dimension, we would give the “diasporic” artists transformative visibility. It would help their visibility as dialogical cultural diversity in the new communities. But also we would like to open, or at least on stressing the importance for young artists of the Western Balkans to experience international context, cultural pluralities and benefit from the globalization and glocalization of the world. We would address the need to bridge the gap between the diaspora and the old/new homeland in the new context and practises of frequent international residencies, cumulative change of the working contexts, advancing from the European integration and the ease of the barriers to artistic mobility. These planned changes and impact would occur through several transversal public events organized by the partners in the region and in Europe using the formats of interactive workshops, conference, exhibitions and printed publication.

Project Partners

www.remont.net

www.kunstost.at

www.oraclecult.net

Activities

Project donors

The project From Diaspora to diversities - Transformative action for diasporic art&cultural diversity management

is funded by Balkan Arts and Culture Fund BAC.

BAC is supported by·the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF).