„Infelicitous“ Participatory Acts on the Neoliberal Stage
Participatory art’s promises and hopes for democratization of society
Addressing the “we”: Democratization and neoliberalism
For me participatory art in general is related to the political theory of deliberative and participatory democracy and the inter-subjective philosophy of “being singular plural” as conceptualized by Jean-Luc Nancy,*11 *(11) as well as to Giorgio Agamben’s work on coming community (Agamben 1993). (*11) Jean-Luc Nancy, for example, reminded us that the aporia of the “we” is actually the main aporia of intersubjectivity, and he points out that it is impossible to pin down a universal “we” that always consists of the same components.*12 *(12) I therefore propose the hypothesis that when participation gives preference to the art institution and remains focused on the art system—which I have identified as the first type of participatory project—, it cannot truly fulfill the promises that characterize the second type of participation, precisely because of the limited outreach of art and cultural institutions from the outset, and the limited “we” that they address.
Interestingly, the constantly newly created “we” contains different parts and counter-parts, but does not give any indication of what has happened to the previous parts/participants who become a certain inoperative community (Nancy 1991: 80-81). (*12) For Nancy, however, community occurs exactly in situations of interruption, fragmentation, and suspension: “Community is made of interruption of singularities… Community is not the work of singular beings, nor can it claim them as its works…” (Nancy 1991: 31). (*12) This interpretation of community as being intrinsically inoperative and fragmentary helps us to understand the way in which participatory art projects function or fail to function in practice, especially when they are controlled by institutions. Similarly to Nancy, Agamben thinks of being-in-common as distinct from community (Agamben 1993: 87). (*11)
Participatory art projects aiming towards democratization could also be linked to the older philosophical progressive assumptions proposed by John Dewey, mainly in his critique of education as an instrument of social change (Dewey 2001: 333-341). (*13) It is no coincidence that many participatory art projects are run by the educational departments of museums and other institutions, or are contextualized within pedagogy and epistemology. The “participatory turn” and “educational turn” are often interlinked through artistic and curatorial contemporary art projects engaging with critical education and pedagogy, mostly based on the ideas of Ivan Ilich (Deschooling Society), Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Pedagogy of Hope), Peter McLaren (Critical Pedagogy and Predatory Culture, Life in Schools: An Introduction to Critical Pedagogy in the Foundations of Education), and Jacques Ranciere (The Ignorant Schoolmaster).*13 *(13) Research and art projects by artists such as Olafur Elliasson, Tanja Ostojić, Tania Bruguera, Ahmet Ögüt, Chto Delat, and Pablo Helguera have indicated the pedagogical potential of participatory and socially focused art practices.*14 *(14)
Applying elaborate ethical research principles already at work in the social sciences and humanities may be helpful for artists in many respects—in appreciating the communities and the subjects whom they address with their projects, in creating projects that have the social relevance that they aim for in the first place, in understanding the tensions and conflicts between the spectacle of representation of the communities in directed performances and the fulfillment of the hopes to bring about social change (Brigstocke 2011; (*14) Noorani/Blencowe/Brigstocke 2013; (*15) Billington et.al. 2015 (*16)). Already in the late 1980s Raymond Williams offered a very ambivalent definition of democratic culture addressing the contradictions and controversies surrounding culture as a resource of hope and as a means to foster democracy (Williams 1989: 3-18). (*17)
Participatory art projects can easily become caught within a vicious cycle of criticism that does not take into account any positive aspects or outcomes, because they often end before making any proposals for self-sustainable participation or providing any models that would secure the desired and promised social effects. However, most of these projects are still welcomed by society, since mild, social critique that eventually recuperates the institutions critiqued and most likely perpetuates the status quo is preferred to a more direct political critique of social inequality and injustice.
Authors such as Jodi Dean and Slavoj Žižek have pointed out the fundamental contradictions between democracy and neoliberal social developments. For example, Dean argued that while the left attempted to develop and defend a collective vision of equality and solidarity, the ascendance of “communicative capitalism,” consumerism-driven gridlocks, privileging of self over group interests, and the embrace of the language of victimization have constantly undermined such attempts (see Dean 2009). (*18) Žižek went so far as to announce the separation of the two: “the eternal marriage between capitalism and democracy has ended” (Dutent 2013). (*19) However, this separation has not been politically acknowledged despite the fact that it has become more obvious in the wake of recent economic and political scandals, such as the Panama Papers, which have exposed the close link between democratic and neoliberal powers. It is currently extremely difficult to make a clear distinction between democratic norms and values and right-wing politics, and it becomes especially difficult to define and justify when it comes to the analysis of governing when financial capital and philanthropy are the main resources for supporting politically engaged and participatory art projects.
Suzana Milevska ( 2016): „Infelicitous“ Participatory Acts on the Neoliberal Stage. Participatory art’s promises and hopes for democratization of society. In: p/art/icipate – Kultur aktiv gestalten # 07 , https://www.p-art-icipate.net/infelicitous-participatory-acts-on-the-neoliberal-stage/