critical method suspends judgment, judgment suspends critique
The reading group is a collective of art theoreticians, curators and artists that was founded with the aim to collectively study and research theoretical texts on art and cultural theory, philosophy, political theory and aesthetics as well as their interdisciplinary intercrossings. Through these readings the group’s activities focus on the specific ways, in which contemporary art is organized, disseminated, contextualized and received. Based on the formation of a basic corpus of seminal canonical as well as erratic texts the group is particularly interested on issues that are raised by problematizing methodology, interpretation and critique. The group's main focus is to develop nomadic and interventionist reflection and critique on contemporary art projects and the discourse, which is formed by them.
The reading group carries out research, using a common critical method, while it gradually forms a common critical competency and organizes a method of working. The group investigates in a self-reflexive manner the concept of collective and collaborative authorship, a topic, which is examined in a series of published round table discussions that take place between the members of the group and invited guests and other statements. In these terms the group becomes one of the factors that shape the local art scene, strongly believing that scholarship and everyday practice in contemporary art are important resources for personal emancipation and community development. Beyond its “reading time” the group makes presentations in public space, institutions, galleries, universities... It concentrates also in making books (being in charge of research, editing, translation) in collaboration with publishing houses. Another focus of the group is to intervene in the selection and editing process of other media such as magazines, editions that are then re-used as curated projects.
The reading group was formed in October 2004 by Manty Albani, Elpida Karampa, Polina Kosmadaki, Christopher Marinos, Sotirios Bahtsetzis and Kostis Stafylakis who are its current members.
The reading group carries out research, using a common critical method, while it gradually forms a common critical competency and organizes a method of working. The group investigates in a self-reflexive manner the concept of collective and collaborative authorship, a topic, which is examined in a series of published round table discussions that take place between the members of the group and invited guests and other statements. In these terms the group becomes one of the factors that shape the local art scene, strongly believing that scholarship and everyday practice in contemporary art are important resources for personal emancipation and community development. Beyond its “reading time” the group makes presentations in public space, institutions, galleries, universities... It concentrates also in making books (being in charge of research, editing, translation) in collaboration with publishing houses. Another focus of the group is to intervene in the selection and editing process of other media such as magazines, editions that are then re-used as curated projects.
The reading group was formed in October 2004 by Manty Albani, Elpida Karampa, Polina Kosmadaki, Christopher Marinos, Sotirios Bahtsetzis and Kostis Stafylakis who are its current members.
