Introduction

“On Difference” is the (working) title of a series of projects initiated by Württembergischer Kunstverein and developed in close co-operation with numerous international curators and artists. In two independently curated exhibitions, the project sets out in search of the local contexts, critical practices and networked spaces of action of contemporary art – specifically in “non-Western” cultures.

“On Difference” focuses on the importance of independent formats of communication and presentation of contemporary art – Internet fora, magazines, archives, self-managed exhibition rooms, etc. – whose actors engage in a critical analysis of social, political, economical and urban developments. The concept of difference is seen not as a thesis, but rather as a problem – and as a challenge – of “translation”: for example between art, activism and institutions, but also between various local fields of reference and “realities”.

“On Difference #2” has been developed in close cooperation with Ricardo Basbaum, Judit Angel, Galia Dimitrova, Alenka Gregorić, Nathalie Boseul SHIN and Raqs Media Collective – each of them creating independently their own section of the exhibition. The transformation processes in “post-communist” societies will be just as much a topic of the analysis as the links between artistic and activist practices in Brazil or Hungary. The focus is on urban developments in Indian metropolises or border politics between North and South Korea. In addition to artistic works, ranging from painting to interactive projects based on the Internet and mobile telephony, the exhibition will also comprise contributions from activists, writers, critics, film-makers, architects and urban planners.