16.10.2025
Closing symposium as part of if walls could tell - in english language
Thursday, 2025/10/16, 6 pm and Friday, 2025/10/17, from 10 am | Weltkunstzimmer, Düsseldorf /DE
In light of increasing social fragmentation, controversial interpretations of history, and authoritarian tendencies in post-socialist contexts, participatory art has proven to be an effective tool for reclaiming public space and amplifying marginalized voices. The concluding symposium Voicing the Commons: Participatory Art and New Public Imaginaries at Weltkunstzimmer brings together artists, curators, theorists, and directors of cultural institutions to reflect on the international project if walls could tell, which explored how empty white walls can become platforms for expression, dissent, and collective imagination as symbolic structures of openness.
Spanning various urban contexts—Sarajevo, Bucharest, Skopje, Chișinău, Ljubljana, Kraljevica, and Čačak—the project revealed public space as a deeply political terrain where art not only reflects society but actively generates new forms of civic engagement.
The conference will focus on several key questions:
How can we imagine and design shared spaces in divided societies? What role can participatory art play in reshaping our sense of belonging, ownership, and responsibility in public spaces? Building on the experiences of the if walls could tell project, participatory art is examined as a practice of community—not only as a means of creating artworks, but as a process of creating new social relationships, solidarities, and forms of care.
Further information and the complete program can be found via the link. The event is free of charge and registration is not required.
© Studio Mischa Kuball