Screening, Symposium

Following the first exhibition of the Rojava Film Commune in the United States, Forms of Freedom curated by iLiana Fokianaki at e- flux, Vera List and e-flux co-organize a day of discussions and screenings that respond to the exhibition and the general practice of the commune as one informed and formulated through political ideology. Their work poses many questions in relation to the role of political ideology in artistic practice, as they use cultural production as a space to engage and shape ideological compositions. This one-day public event at the Vera List Center will address this particular aspect of cultural practice that sits between activism and artistic expression, and springs from a specific ideological framework.

Through the discussion, we explore what is the role of ideology in art in the twenty-first century, and what new toolbox emerges through ideologically informed cultural practices to confront our turbo-capitalist present. Can some of the key ideas of political experiments from Indigenous and revolutionary struggles (like the Rojava revolution) that are built on equality, feminism, social ecology, and anti-capitalism positionings, be useful for cultural practices in the Western context as well?