Artă, Activism, Absență?

Описание

Art, Activism, Absence? – a workshop facilitated by Rada Leu [BG/CH]
Saturday, November 1, 2025, 6:00 PM
Zpace (Casa Zemstvei, 103 Al. Sciusev str., Chisinau)

How can an absence be transformed into something productive?

Following two previous conversations on the topics of antagonism and autonomy, we will look at the topic of absence. The field of independent and socially engaged art in Moldova is shaped by absences: a lack of cultural strategies, of local funding, of spaces and other types of infrastructures. Additionally, the massive emigration of the last decades has also affected the cultural sector, with many artists living and working abroad. In this discussion, we invite local cultural workers to “bring their own absence”: to think of which particular absence shapes their artistic or socially engaged practice. Together, we will think of what forms of practices these absences have created, and consider if there are any types of absence that can be transformed into something productive, and how?

The discussion will elaborate ideas and concerns put forward by participants during its last iterations (which you can find written down here) and additionally center the question of absence and the way it shapes the field of independent culture and socially engaged practices in Moldova.

The workshop is open for all who are interested, regardless of previous participation.
The meeting will be held in English.

Rada Leu [BG/CH] is an artist, musician and performer. She is a member of the queer band Acid Amazonians and the research-based political theatre collective Neue Dringlichkeit and co-founder of QWAS, a multi-format exchange program between Switzerland and Kazakhstan. The collectives she works in explore topics such as pop culture, post-Soviet space, the world of logistics and globalization, and DIY music making.

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This gathering is part of the research project “Contemporary Art, Popular Culture and Peacebuilding in Eastern Europe”, which examines contemporary art and popular culture as interconnected systems to gain a broader perspective on the role of art in conflict resolution. It is based on the ongoing long-term cooperation between the University of the Arts in Zurich, the project partner, the Artas Foundation, and partners in Eastern Europe – a region often ignored and marginalized in the West.