GAP ART SUMMIT 2024

Censorship in the Arts and Culture
15.8.2024

 

MAIN PROGRAMME

08.30 – 09.00  Registration & Coffee
09.00 – 09.15  Conference Opening by Kemê Pellicer
09.15 – 10.30  Keynote- Censorship: Global Perspectives. Panel discussion moderated by Alexandr Foy / Artist, producer, and advocate for human rights, equality, and social inclusion. 

In an interconnected world where information flows across borders, censorship remains a persistent challenge that affects artists, thinkers, and activists worldwide. This panel brings together a diverse group of artists, and intellectuals to explore global perspectives on censorship, freedom of expression, and the limitations imposed on artistic and cultural practices. Through personal anecdotes, scholarly insights, and comparative analysis, panellists will examine the complex dynamics of censorship in different regions of the world, highlighting both shared experiences and unique challenges faced by artists and cultural creators.

Keynote by Marja Honkonen / Editor-in-chief of Journalisti-magazine

Reeta Kangas / PhD researcher, educator and writer, University of Turku
Bogdan Dremin / Manager of hip-hop artist FACE and a music producer
Spartak Khachanov / Multimedia artist
Kadipa/ Visual artist

10.45 – 10.50 Theatrical dance performance by Katia Skylar

10.50 – 12.00  Institutional Boundaries: Navigating Censorship in Artistic Practice. Panel discussion moderated by Artist and Secretary General at Forum Artis Hanna Kosonen. 

How do gatekeepers affect the boundaries of censorship? How do power dynamics shape artistic expression? This panel examines the responsibilities of museums, galleries, and cultural institutions in navigating censorship challenges. Funding bodies and experts will discuss controversies surrounding the display of sensitive or controversial artworks and explore the delicate balance between cultural sensitivity and cultural censorship within art institutions. Furthermore, we will examine how financial support from private and governmental bodies can influence the autonomy of artists and the type of artworks that result from that.

Opening presentation by Hanna Kosonen

Kalle Korhonen / Director of Funding, Kone Foundation
Kaisa Rönkkö / Director, The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)
Christine Langinauer / Exhibition curator at Vantaa Art Museum Artsi

12.00 – 13.00  Lunch break

13.00 – 13.05  Artistic Intervention by Ursa Minor

13.05 – 14.15  Silenced Voices: Exploring Self-Censorship in Artistic Expression. Panel discussion by Luckan Helsingfors moderated by Larrie Griffis.

Delve into the concept of self-censorship, where artists and creators may refrain from expressing certain ideas or themes due to fear of backlash. Artists will discuss the psychological and social aspects of self-censorship.

Tomasz Szrama / Multidisciplinary Artist
Fredrik Lilius / Stand-up comedian
Aizhan Sultan / Singer, composer and educator

14.30 – 14.35  Artistic Intervention by Manu Harutyunyan

14.35 – 15.45  Unveiling Digital Canvas: Navigating Censorship in Art and Culture Online. Panel discussion moderated by visual artist Alex Markwith.

Panellists will provide insights, share experiences, and engage in dialogue about the opportunities and challenges presented by digital technology for artistic expression and cultural production. These discussions will offer a comprehensive framework for further dialogue about the complexities of censorship in the digital era within the field of art and culture.

Majella Clarke / Conductor, Multi-instrumentalist, Artist and Artificial Intelligence Strategist
Taika / Smart artist
Säde Haveri / Founder of Helsinki Data Week. Data Governance Manager and Data Coach

16.00 – 16.30  Closing performance by Aizhan Sultan, Marko Annala and Aleks Zubkerman
16.30 – 17.00  Mingle with background beats of Erno Matikainen

GAP ART SUMMIT WORKSHOPS – onsite only!

11:30 – 12:45 The Use of AI in Visual Arts with Alex Markwith

This workshop will look at how we can generate images with artificial intelligence. Alex Markwith will present his own process and what led him to incorporate AI as a tool in his painting practice. As a group exercise, you will generate visuals as a team using popular AI programs. Discussion topics include how this new technology might open new possibilities for artists, and ethical concerns as well its current limitations.

13:00 – 14:15  The Use of AI in Music with Majella Clarke 

How can using AI improve our creative processes? And what might this mean for creating music with AI? How much agency will be traded off by using AI, and to what extent can we, as creatives, regain agency over our creative practice when using AI? This workshop will introduce AI in music and trace its evolution over the last 60 years. The workshop will introduce a few tools that everyone can use. From Generative AI, to co-creating a composition with whales – our aim is to test and experiment with AI and artistic agency in the music improvisation and composition processes. The final part of the workshop will discuss the technologies behind neural audio synthesis and demo the sonic baton, an intelligent instrument that will be used in a concluding performance.

14:30 – 15:45  The Use of AI in Grant Applications with Klara Paul and Åsa Juslin

Seeking funding poses its challenges. It can be particularly difficult when your own language doesn’t match the language of the application you’re submitting. However, there are opportunities. Meet Klara Paul from the Föreningen Konstsamfundet and Åsa Juslin from Svenska Kulturfonden, who will explain how AI can facilitate this process and provide tips and tricks for artists seeking financial support for their art.

REGISTRATION: 15.5. – 8.8. 2024

This is a link to the registration form for GAP ART SUMMIT 2024 organised by Globe Art Point in close cooperation with Luckan Helsingfors on 15th of August, 2024. The event is organised onsite in Luckan Helsingfors (Yrjönkatu 27, 00100 Helsinki) and virtually on YouTube. 

– The link to the online streaming will be accessible only through registration.
– The event will be streamed and documented on YouTube.
– The workshops run simultaneously with the panel discussions, you can only attend one of them.

It is totally okay to only attend a couple of sessions during the day, however, please remember there is a limited amount of seats available so if you are not sure if you can make it to our event, please allow others to register first. If you happen to have a change of heart or are unable to join, please inform us in advance. 

Important

This conference is live streamed on YouTube. By attending our event in person, you ultimately accept the risk of being recorded or photographed for archival purposes. Documentation from our summit is going to be shared online and therefore, if you have any issues in appearing in our photo documentation or in the live stream, you are advised to attend remotely.