The book critically examines the epistemological disparities between colonialism and capitalism-critical cultural practices and Western art institutions. It does so through the lens of documenta 15, focusing on ruangrupas lumbung approach, which confronts Eurocentric cultural norms and stimulates a shift towards pluriversal horizons, demonstrating the transformative potential of alternative methodologies.
This book provides a comprehensive understanding of how collective methods and practices can cultivate pluriversal horizons in cultural institutions and policies, informed by extensive field research at documenta 15. The key elements of the approach include interdisciplinary perspectives, linking theory and practice and exploring under-discussed dimensions of epistemological disparities. It offers practical and theoretical insights into the development of frameworks for cultural practices and policies critical of coloniality and discrimination, recognizes the coexistence of equally valuable epistemes and aims to dismantle Eurocentric structures in the cultural sector.
This valuable contribution presents relevant insights for those interested in decolonial studies, diversity frameworks in cultural institutions, and individuals engaged in the critique and transformation of Eurocentric practices within the cultural sector. It will appeal to scholars, researchers, and practitioners in fields such as cultural studies, sociology, political science, political geography, cultural geography, cultural policy and art education, as well as industry professionals and policymakers.
The book critically examines the epistemological disparities between colonialism and capitalism-critical cultural practices and Western art institutions. It does so through the lens of documenta 15, focusing on ruangrupas lumbung approach.
From documenta 15 to pluriversal horizons: rethinking cultural
practices, institutions and policies
Özlem Canyürek and Meike Lettau
PART I: ON THE PATH TO PLURIVERSALITY IN KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION AND CULTURAL
POLICY
1. Enacting postcapitalist cultural politics: documenta 15 and beyond
Vinja Kisi and Goran Tomka
2. Tracing conflicts: unpacking antagonizations between politics and the
political during documenta 15
Friederike Landau-Donnelly
3. Ethics of care in cultural policy and practice: case study documenta15
Adil Serhan ahin and Dunja Karanovi
4. Attempts to establish equality and diversity in the cultural sector
analysing documenta 15
Charlotte Hüser
PART II: COLLECTIVITY IN ART INSTITUTIONS AND LUMBUNG PRACTICE
5. Rethinking art institutions: examining documenta 15 with a focus on the
Istanbul art scene
Miyase Ēelen
6. The curator as an ally: curatorial shifts towards commons and artistic
collectivity at documenta 15
Lilli Kim Schreiber
7. Lumbung as a culture of common intentionality: a post-theoretical approach
to cultural production
Julian Kraemer and Laetitia Lüke
8. Maaya philosophies at documenta 15: curatorial practices from Mali
challenging patterns of representation in the international art sphere
Michčle Brand
9. Collective learning in expanding settings? Reflections on collectivizing
methods at documenta 15
Sophie Mak-Schram, Marteinn Sindri Jónsson and Ernesto Oroza
10. A glossary attempt to harvest the summer school: a vocabulary for
grounding, rooting and standingZeynep Okyay
Meike Lettau holds a junior professorship in cultural and media policy studies at Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, Germany. Her research interests include international cultural relations, artists as agents of change, socio-political transformation processes and culture in conflict regions, among others. She is currently leading the DAAD-funded project Tawasol Cultural Production and Policy Network focusing on the WANA region. Previously, she was academic associate at the University of Hildesheim and coordinator of the graduate school Performing Sustainability: Cultures and Development in West Africa. She has worked for various cultural institutions (e.g. Goethe-Institut, KHOJ International Artists Association, Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations [ ifa]).
Özlem Canyürek is a sociologist of cultural policy, politics and education. She holds a PhD from the University of Hildesheim, Department of Cultural Policy. Her research centres on marginalized knowledges, narratives and aesthetics in the German cultural field. Her dissertation 'Cultural Diversity in Motion. Rethinking Cultural Policy and Performing Arts in an Intercultural Society' was funded by the European Open Science Cloud for open-access publication. She has examined diversification processes in the performing arts for the German Performing Arts Fund (2021) and in childrens and youth theatre for ASSITEJ Germany (2023), focusing on practice-informed approaches to cultural policy.