AGM 10: CPS Collectivus

AGM CONVERSATIONS Cartagena, Spain, 2010

MURAM Museo Regional de Arte Moderno, Cartagena,
2 October 2010
“On Ethics” saw the participation of Erlea Maneros Zabala, Yesomi Umolu, Hannah Conroy, Khaled Ramadan, Martin Rosengaard, Khaled Hafez, Celine Condorelli, Henna, Hyvarinen, David Berg

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Filipa César’s Studio Berlin, 31 August 2010
“On Space”

“On Space” saw the participation of David Rych, Rossella Biscotti, Hannah Conroy, Inês Costa, Michael J. Baers, Filipa César, Ariel Reichman, Alfredo Cramerotti, Ralf Homann, Pedro Maia. Filipa César’s Studio Berlin, 31 August 2010

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Nottingham Contemporary, 15 July 2010
“On Translation”

“On Translation” saw the participation of Michael Takeo Magruder, Fay Nicolson, Nada Prlja, Alfredo Cramerotti, Yesomi Umolu, Hannah Conroy, Jeffery Baker

AGM 10 willingly takes on board one of the main characteristics of Manifesta 8: the wish and the will to explore new modes of curating through collective work. It is about shifting the boundaries beyond the authorship of the single curator. This is a conscious decision to explore a different way to work in the contemporary art world and beyond, an active stimulant for “knowledge production” currently being discussed by many initiatives in both practical and intellectual terms.

Here in Spain, within a biennial fully embracing the idea of collectivity, we put this process in motion, using historical and geographical contexts. AGM 10 asks: what is the best way to “act out” rather than just represent such a method, in order to best produce and distribute knowledge? By creating a new model, maybe one can get closer to the “real” thing, instead of simply by reporting. To research this further, AGM 10 decided to invite one of the main protagonists of such a scenario: the curatorial collective CPS (Chamber of Public Secrets) from Manifesta 8. In a healthy double-take, AGM 10 has helped to enliven and expose the processes behind a new, major CPS production while they are working on a project in which AGM 10 itself has been invited to participate.

AGM 10 unpacks a punch. What does ‘working together’ imply on a critical and practical level? AGM 10 realistically does this by ‘working together’. What you now see in this space is a subjective selection from the vast CPS archives, along with research extracts and recorded conversations. The audio-visual and printed ‘files’ of previous collaborative works (or ‘transmissions’ to adopt terminology from CPS), are built into an exhibition venue which itself embodies a sedimentation of knowledge over time as the result of collective working processes. By juxtaposing these elements, AGM 10 simultaneously demonstrates and questions the various documents, procedures and agents (visible and non-visible) which govern the conception, production and distribution of collective knowledge in the broader public sphere.

AGM is a curatorial project with some of the inbuilt features of a parasite. Each time, by changing partner, location, form and content, its primary focus is to explore the peculiarity of the hosting body – be it a site, an institution or a theme. Previously, AGM has explored new modes of knowledge production within art and the media in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K. and in the Web space. AGM 10 is organised by Hannah Conroy and Yesomi Umolu in close dialogue with CPS members.

http://www.agmculture.org

Listening, first; then acting. Being in the moment, making room for someone else’s words, acts, thoughts. Renounce to what one knows (or think to know) in order to learn something not familiar with. Share the time (of being and act together) and the space (to think and work together). Avoid, necessarily, pre-emptive risk assessments, as it’s simply impossible within the uncharted territory of working collectively. And yes, it might be slower and unnerving but the chance that co-listening, thinking and working may bring about less self-centred and more interesting outcome is definitely worth the hassle. Since 2003.